


Slytherin to My Heart

by happypugfics



Series: Skimmons Hogwarts AU [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, skimmons - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-03-30 18:09:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 82,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3946597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happypugfics/pseuds/happypugfics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skimmons Hogwarts AU<br/>Skye and Jemma find themselves in their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry dealing with the same old issues it has to offer: homework, tests, quidditch, house points, their relationship...and oh, the Triwizard Tournament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Doppelganger

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is another wonderful collab between my writing parter, Skimmonsfiction and I. We are excited to present it to you and we hope that you really love it!  
> We do not own the characters or the universe. All rights belong to Marvel and J.K. Rowling.

"So, you looking forward to more Alchemy?  I can’t see how you do it, Jems.  It sounds so boring.  Isn’t it just like potions, but with more potions?  Or more ingredients?  More hard?” Skye laughed and nudged the shorter girl who was carrying an arm full of books.  She had offered to carry them for Jemma, since she only had two books of her own and they were already in her bag.  Jemma’s was already full of books.  She had so many; however, Jemma had said no, and that she could carry her own.  She was such a bookworm.

It was already after lunch, and a hot day out.  Skye had already loosened her green and silver tie and unbuttoned the top of the white collared shirt.  She hadn’t even put on her robe today.  She didn’t have a class for her third period on Thursdays, so she was content to make her way wherever she pleased.  After she dropped Jemma off to class of course.  It had been a tradition for several years now, and their sixth year wouldn’t be any different.  Skye would always walk Jemma to class, part with a kiss, and then rush to her own.  She was often late because of this, but she never minded.  The most she had ever gotten taken from the Slytherin house points was fifty, and her classmates had done much worse things to warrant deduction.   
  


“For your information, alchemy is very different from potions,” Jemma began, not realizing that Skye didn’t actually want a definitive answer. “The premise of potions is to use several different ingredients and techniques to create something, while alchemy is altering one element into another.” Jemma finished, a proud grin on her face. When she finally noticed the amused expression on Skye’s face over her stack of books, she understood that the Slytherin girl was teasing her, not being curious about her classes.

“I enjoy challenging myself!” Jemma defended her decision to take the class and Skye simply raised her eyebrows. She knew how much the taller girl was enjoying the way she was flustered because there was a sparkle in her eye and she caught her lower lip between her teeth.

The weight of her books was getting uncomfortable in her arms, but she wouldn’t let Skye carry them because she’d see that there were textbooks in her pile for classes Skye didn’t know she was taking that day.

She shifted them uncomfortably and just stared helplessly when one slipped off the top. Finally, Skye’s proximity to her became useful as the brunette caught the book and delicately placed it back where it was supposed to be.

“Alright, alright, but just think of the muscles you’ll have at the end of the year.  You’ll be so in shape that you could try out for Quidditch,” Skye laughed and smiled, putting her arm around Jemma’s hip and pulling her in so they could walk just a little bit closer together for the last couple minutes to her class.  Her hands were full with books, so Skye wanted to hold the next best thing.  Well, technically Jemma’s hips weren’t bad...they were actually one of Skye’s more favorite places...and she was getting off topic in her daydreams.

“I’m going to go find Trip during break.  He promised he would show me this new spell he found in some old book in the library,” Skye stopped on the stone walkway in front of a large set of black wooden double doors.

“Here we are, M’lady,” The brunette joked, slipping her hand from Jemma’s waist and taking a bow.  “I’ll see you for class after? Were you going to come by Quidditch practice today or head to the library?”

“As much as I enjoy watching you fly around hitting a ball with a club,” Jemma joked, getting revenge and teasing Skye. “I have to study in the library for an important arithmancy test tomorrow.” She informed her girlfriend, not realizing her mistake until it slipped out of her mouth. As far as Skye knew, she didn’t have arithmancy tomorrow. She flinched internally, hoping the other girl wouldn’t notice.

One of Skye’s eyebrows rose in curiosity at the mention of Jemma’s arithmancy test.  One of the few things she did actually memorize during the school year was her girlfriend's schedule, and Jemma only had that class on Wednesdays.

“You must be over worked already because you just had Arithmancy yesterday, Jems.  You’ve got a whole 'nother week to go,” Skye shook her head, smiling down at the girl with a wide grin, “You need more free periods in your week. You’re losing your mind!  And besides, Beater is a very important position, I’ll have you know.  I keep everyone else, including the Seeker, from getting beaten to death on the field.  I am important as they come, little lady!” She leaned over and pecked Jemma on the cheek lightly.

Jemma would acutely remember how important beaters were, saving everyone else on the field from getting pummeled, only to be pummeled themselves sometimes.  Skye had broken her arm last year when she had missed a bludger and it had swung back around and hit her.  She had almost fallen off her broom too, but she had managed to hold on.  Skye remembered Jemma had not been very happy the rest of that week.

“My mistake. I must have gotten my days mixed up. I’ll be at practice, then.” Jemma smiled and rushed into her class before Skye could question her further.

Skye just stood there for a moment, watching her little dork vanish through the doors before she left to meet Trip in the courtyard.  They had an hour and a half to spare and by the end of it she was sure she will have learned a new prank spell to practice on Jemma.  The enchanted snowballs last year had been too fun.  Trip was a master at making people laugh, that was probably why he and Skye were best friends, despite him being in Gryffindor.

The brunette walked back the way she had come with Jemma and into the large main structure of the castle.  She rolled up her sleeves and adjusted her bag strap against her shoulders, holding onto it as she walked through the large open hall.  She passed other Slytherins, nodding to them, waving to some others who were in her apparitions class, before she turned her glance ahead.  Down a flight of stairs, around another corner, and then out the large back doors of the castle and into the grass court yard.

Trip was waiting for her and got up from his sitting place on a low wall and rushed over.  He was a seventh year and Skye would be sad to see him leave at the end of the year. His sleeves were rolled up as well, but his tie was as pristine as ever.  He was also wearing that ridiculous grey sweater.  Trip found it highly important to look his best at all times.  He had ladies to impress after all and an image to keep up.  He was the Gryffindor Keeper.   
“Hey there girl!  You drop lil’mama off to class?”  
“Yep.  She’s all taken care of.  Now tell me what you found!” Skye grinned, walking with him along the path to the back of the court yard.

“Oh yeah, it’s all ready.  I wrote it down for you.  Simmons should get a kick out of this one.  C’mon, I’ll show you,” Trip nodded towards the tree with a wide mischievous grin on his face.  Skye’s grin nearly matched as she followed him, looking around to make sure that no one would pick up on their soon to be shenanigans.  As she scanned, she thought she spotted familiar light brown locks rushing across the other end of the court yard to another wing of the castle.  
“Hey…” Skye’s eyebrow rose again, as it often did when she was confused.  It was something that Jemma found rather adorable about her.  She squinted, trying to see the girl’s face in the crowd.  Something made her want to pay attention.

The way she walked.  Her hands were full of books.  It could be anyone really.  Skye was about to shrug it off, when the girl almost dropped the top book and knelt down to pick it up.  
“So, you hold your wand like this, and then swirl it this way, just right.  Watch the wrist movemen-”  
“Trip, I gotta go!  Sorry!  I’ll catch you later!” Skye shouted and suddenly secured her satchel and darted across the grass. As the strange girl went to open the door to continue into her class, her hand was caught by another, and swiftly turned around.  
Skye’s mouth hung open confused as she stared at the girl.  
“Jemma? I just took you to Alchemy! What are you doing out here?”

Jemma nervously looked back and forth between the door to her class and Skye. She was already late, but what was she supposed to say to her confused girlfriend? Jemma hadn’t told her she’d been issued a time turner this year, and she’d been trying to hide the fact because she knew Skye would think it was ridiculous and that she was taking too many classes at once.

“It will all make sense in a second,” Jemma promised. She would finish her class, and then travel back in time again to this same moment to explain to Skye. This way, she would be simultaneously having a conversation with the very confused girl and attending both of her classes at once.

Jemma slipped into the door of the classroom and left an open-mouthed Skye outside.

“Wh-What…?” Skye turned, looking to the door as Jemma walked through, letting it shut behind her.  What had happened? She was too confused.  Nothing she had said made any sense, until she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.  
“What?!  What?!!  Jemma?!  What--I--What?!”

“Ok, pay attention.” Jemma silenced Skye and put her books down on the ground so she wouldn't have to hold all of them.

“Jems...You just...I dropped you at Alchemy...you...you just went…” Skye pointed awkwardly at the door that Jemma had just walked through.

“I know, and if you’d just listen, I’m trying to explain everything.” Jemma said, a little frustrated now, but understanding Skye’s reaction. If their rolls had been reversed, she would have been just as flabbergasted. This seemed to silence Skye, and she let Jemma continue.

“The me you walked to Alchemy is the first me, the me that just walked into this class is a duplicate, and this me is a duplicate of the duplicate.” Jemma started, forgetting to explain how she was duplicating herself before explaining which was which.   
“Duplicate...of a duplicate...of...Jemma, I don’t understand,” Skye’s eyebrow rose again, just like Jemma liked, and she reached out for the girls arms and held them. Her head was starting to hurt.  Her girlfriend wasn’t making any sense.

“How...why are there duplicates of you?  I don’t get it…”

“Oh! It’s time travel, I..” Jemma stopped when she saw that Skye clearly wasn't getting it, so she pulled the golden chain out from underneath the collar of her shirt and showed it to her.

“After getting permission from the headmaster, the head of Ravenclaw assigned me this time turner necklace. You see, after I finish a class, I can travel back in time and go to another one that is going on at the same time. I signed up for more classes than my schedule would allow, so I needed it to be in two places at once. Or, right now, three.” Jemma smiled, finally pleased with the look of slow realization on Skye’s face. Honestly, she was just glad the girl understood her rambling this time.

“So...what you’re saying is...the you here, right now, is the third you,” Skye said slowly as her brain tried to process all of Jemma’s information.  “And...well,” She grinned then, “This you isn’t doing anything.  So...we could go make out in the attic of the library since you’re already in your classes if you want?” Her grin got wider as she waited for an answer.

“Skye!” Jemma exclaimed, slapping her girlfriend’s shoulder. Of course the only thing she took away from this was that there was a new opportunity to kiss her. She should have expected it, but she didn’t look away in time and ended up getting rendered completely helpless by Skye’s puppy dog eyes.

“Well…” Jemma began as she was slowly convinced that making out with Skye was definitely the best way to spend the hour she’d gained.

“I’ve already been to both of my classes that are going on right now… and I can’t have anyone else seeing me for an hour until the other me’s use their time turners and disappear… so I suppose we can have it your way.” She finally agreed, picking up her massive stack of books. An enormous grin was plastered on Skye’s face.

“Just this once. I’m not supposed to be abusing the privilege of having this device.” Jemma lectured, but she was fairly certain her last sentence was lost on Skye.

“Basically, what you’re saying is that you shouldn’t use it to be having multiple make out sessions in a day with me and I can’t borrow it to go back in time and finish my conversation with Trip?” Skye grinned, leaning over and taking all of Jemma’s books under her arm, and then linked her free hand with one of Jemma’s.  “If all you’re giving me is an hour, then we best get going,” The brunette winked and tugged the flustered girl towards the library in earnest.


	2. Jealous Wizard Tournament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two! We hope that you all enjoy it!!!

Skye arrived into the great dining hall with her Quidditch team mates, having a few more bruises than she did when she had left Jemma in their shared History of Magic class.  Jemma seemed to grow more and more interested as they went further and further back in time, while Skye had been content to doodle in her notebook and show her clever drawings to her girlfriend.  She had been scolded before rushing off to the pitch, but she knew Jemma enjoyed the doodles all the same.

She sat in her usual place with them, making sure that she could see Jemma at the Ravenclaw table across the room.  Skye smiled wide and waved, hoping the girl would see.  She always did.  Jemma might also notice a rather large bruise slowly getting darker on her forehead, just above her left eye.  What could she say?  The bludgers had been especially naughty at practice today.

What was even more interesting was that rumors had been circulating around the castle all day.  Skye hadn’t thought too much of them, until the Slytherin Seeker had told the rest of the team about it.  Apparently while flying around for the snitch, he had spotted a large ship on the horizon of the lake.  This was particularly unusual, because, again, it was a lake, and there weren’t normally ships on it, of any sort.

Other students had apparently seen a flying wagon, carried by the most beautiful flying pegasus circling the grounds in the late afternoon just before coming in for dinner.  This all made for a rather unusual set of circumstances, as Hogwarts did not usually receive visitors...at least not ones that weren’t sent from the Ministry of Magic, and they normally used floo powder.  

Skye hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jemma about it, and she wondered if her girlfriend was just as curious as she was.  They wouldn’t have to wait long to find out, as the Headmaster stood, signaling for all to be silent so that he could begin the evenings announcements before the meal.

Headmaster Coulson placed both his hands on each side of the owl-shaped podium and cleared his throat before beginning his speech. Every student in the hall knew that this was about the gossip spreading around like wildfire. They didn’t usually have announcements before dinner.

“This year, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard Tournament.” Coulson paused and let the whispering run rampant for a few moments before reining them back in.

“For those of you who do not know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single student is selected to compete. Let me be clear. If you are chosen, you must stand alone. There is no backing out, no change of heart. Trust me when I say these contests are not for the feint-hearted.” The students were silent, but a buzz of energy and excitement could be felt in the air. Coulson’s facial expression quickly changed from solemn and serious to lighthearted, and the reason for this was revealed as he continued.

“But more of that later. Now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic, and their headmistress, Maria Hill.” As he spoke, the doors of the Great Hall swung open and a group of very pristine, well dressed girls entered in a tight formation.

Skye would be lying if she told herself that these new girls rushing in weren’t pretty.  Her mouth hanging open just a little was enough proof of that.  She wasn’t alone though, because the other Slytherin Beater, along with most of the other boys at the table were doing the exact same thing.

That was until the tall pretty blonde one in front made eyes at Jemma.  Of course Skye couldn’t have possibly known that's who she was looking at, but it was her general direction, and Skye wasn’t anything if she wasn’t jealous.  She would know that blush anywhere.  Skye loved to make Jemma do it every chance she got.  
“Look at them, man.”  
“Yeah...the one in front is totally ho-”  
Skye jabbed her elbow hard to the right into her teammate’s side, causing him to cough and grab the table.  
“Shut up.  She’s not that pretty…” She grumbled, mouth now fully closed and brooding, paying more attention to her girlfriend from across the room who was busy watching the ladies prance in like they owned the place.

When the girls finished their routine, Coulson introduced the final school.

“And now our friends from the North, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang, and their headmaster, Robert Gonzales.” Before Coulson was even finished, the group of boys burst through the entrance followed by their own headmaster.

The only word that could be used to describe their walk down the aisle was aggressive. The way they slammed their staffs against the floor and sent sparks flying into the air was intimidating enough, but their facial expressions were what made them terrifying. The girls had at least smiled at everyone, but the boys looked as if they were ready to bite the head off of something.

“Damn...talk about testosterone,” Skye mumbled.  The girls at her side of the table all snickered with her while she got a shove back from the one she had jabbed before.  
“Oh hush, you’re just jealous your face doesn’t look that stiff," Skye snapped back, "If you ate less pumpkin puffs you would look like that too. And probably be a better Chaser!"

There was more laughing from her section of the Slytherin table, which quickly quieted down after a sharp stare from their head of house.  Skye was pleased enough with herself at her commentary.  She wondered if Jemma and Fitz were enjoying their own.  The two were so smart, so close, and so similar, Skye might have been jealous if Jemma weren't already hers.  She was quite the green monster when she wanted to be.  Which reminded her, and her gaze turned back to the many girls in blue dresses now at the front of the hall, standing along with the fur and leather clad boys.  Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the tallest blonde of the Beauxbatons.  She was going to keep an eye on that one.

"Your attention please!  I'd like to say a few words,” the Headmaster continued, and the muttering in the room quieted again, all listening eagerly.  “  
“Eternal glory.  That is what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament; however, to do this the chosen student must survive three incredible tasks.  These three tasks are extremely dangerous and will test your courage, problem solving, and mastery of magic. For this reason the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule."

At this, Jemma and her best friend, Fitz, exchanged eye rolls. She’d read about this whole tournament in Hogwarts, A History, and she thought the entire idea of it was barbarac. People died in this tournament, but who cares, as long as the schools were being friends, right? Everyone around her was whispering and bragging about the fact that they were going to enter. Even students from her own house were hastily deciding to put their names into the fire.

“I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be wise,” Jemma leaned over and quietly said into Fitz’s ear so that no one around her would be offended. She couldn’t imagine anyone she knew even considering setting themselves up for something so pointlessly dangerous.

Jemma snuck a look over at the Slytherin table, and more specifically, at Skye. As Skye and her quidditch teammates were talking, she finally noticed the bruise above Skye’s eye. It hadn’t been as visible when Skye had waved to her, or she surely would have seen it sooner. Even though the two weren’t related at all, Jemma began to worry that Skye’s aptitude for sports, along with the peer pressure of her teammates, would somehow convince her to enter. No, she wouldn’t. Skye was reckless, but she wasn’t stupid.

A tall, black haired woman took the podium as Coulson stepped down.  She was dressed in traditional business robes of someone of high rank in the Ministry of Magic.  The only thing that really would catch attention was the streak of red in her hair.  With a stern face, she adjusted her glasses and waited for the murmurs to quiet again, "After due consideration, the ministry has concluded that for their safety, no student under the age of seventeen will be able to put their name for the Triwizard Tournament.  This decision is final and nonnegotiable."

Almost immediately, the hall filled with grumbled protests. This should have eased Jemma’s annoyance, but it didn’t. The ministry obviously knew how dangerous this was, or they wouldn’t have created an age limit, but yet, they were encouraging students to participate anyway.

"Thank you, Ms. Hand,” Coulson moved back to the podium after she stepped down and back to her seat at the table.  He then waved his hand in front of the stand and a large stone goblet appeared.  Another second later some in the room gasped as it lit suddenly with blue flames.

“The Goblet of Fire!  Anyone wishing to participate must simply write their name on a piece of parchment and throw it into the flame before this hour on Saturday evening. But be warned--do not do so lightly.  If chosen, there's no turning back.  As of this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun!”  Cheers erupted from around the room, echoing through the hall and suddenly food filled the plates set up for dinner all along the tables.  Those from the other two schools were asked to go and intermingle with the Hogwarts students during dinner to get acquainted.  

While every other student in the hall was busy inviting their guests to sit with them, Jemma and Fitz couldn’t care less and went back to the conversation they’d been having before all of this had started and interrupted them. To Jemma, the tournament was like a fly buzzing around her head. She knew it was there and it was vaguely annoying, but she chose to ignore it.

“You should have seen the look on Skye’s face,” Jemma continued telling Fitz her story about the way Skye had finally found out about her time travel. “It was priceless.” She opened her mouth to continue speaking, but Fitz’s eyes widened as he looked at something behind Jemma. She slowly turned her head and was looking up into the eyes of the blonde from before, the one who had smiled at her when they made their entrance.

“Can- Can we help you?” Jemma asked shyly. She wasn’t good at talking to regular strangers, much less tall, attractive strangers from other schools. Jemma was in no way being disloyal to Skye by thinking it, she simply paid very acute attention to detail and she couldn’t help but notice how well formed and symmetrical the other girl’s body was.

“Is this seat taken?” The stranger asked sweetly, smiling at Jemma’s nervousness. Jemma glanced at the seat on the bench next to her and then back up at the girl’s face.

“Please, sit,” Fitz answered for her. “Excuse my friend here, she doesn’t know how to talk to women.” he joked, holding his hands up in surrender when Jemma launched a dagger at him from her eyes.

The stranger laughed and slipped onto the bench. With the extra students, the tables were crowded and Jemma’s shoulder was lightly touching the girl’s. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment because of Fitz’s comment.

“My name’s Bobbi Morse.” The unfamiliar girl informed her.

“Simmons,” “Fitz,” Each best friend introduced the other simultaneously.

"So Simmons," Bobbi began. Jemma felt another leg press against hers under the table and shifted uncomfortably. This was one reason she enjoyed the fact that she and Fitz didn't have many friends. They had more space, which was something Jemma valued. She'd never really liked people touching her, Skye being the exception. "Are you enjoying Alchemy? I took it last year and it was just as fun as potions."

"What- how?" Jemma was wondering why this random girl knew what classes she was taking, but she quickly silenced herself. As an answer, Bobbi looked pointedly at Jemma's lap, where her textbook was still lying. She'd been doing some light reading before the evening meal and hadn't put it away.

"Yes, very much." Jemma smiled. "It's a wonderful challenge." The fact that Bobbi was staring at the collection of books stuffed into the bag behind her made her heart fall just a little bit. Sure, this girl might have wanted to be friends with her, but once she realized how much of a nerd she was, she'd move on.

"That is a LOT of books." Bobbi grinned, and Jemma wished she could crawl into a shell and hide away forever. This is why she never tried to make friends. "Ah, it makes sense now." Jemma looked up at the giant of a teenage girl. Even when they were sitting, Jemma's head only reached her shoulder. It was very, very nerve wracking.

Her nerves only got worse when the blonde hooked her finger under the chain around Jemma's neck and pulled until the pendant fell out of her shirt. Heat rushed to the tips of Jemma's ears because she swore she felt Bobbi's finger brush against her clavicle. Bobbi held the pendent in her palm, observing the hourglass carefully.

"I heard that these were issued sometimes here. I wanted one myself, but Beauxbaton doesn't allow them. You must be really smart to have gotten one." Bobbi complimented her. She released the necklace and Jemma let out a breath of relief when the object returned to its place hanging against her chest.

"Yes, well, I enjoy schoolwork." Jemma smiled back.

"What’s your favorite class?" Bobbi asked. Jemma smiled and continued to talk with the girl, pleased with herself for having a little confidence. Although she didn’t approve of the dangerous task part of the tournament, she should at least try to make some friends. That was the point of it, after all.

Skye had been immediately preoccupied by a giant stack of turkey legs which appeared out of nowhere after the Headmaster’s speech.  Practice had been a rough one, and Skye, as well as her other teammates were starving, because the pile was gone, quickly replaced with more.  She scooped this and that onto her plate.  Load it with carbs to replace the ones she had worked off.

She was already teeth deep in the turkey leg when the Chaser next to her nudged her, pointing his mildly chubby finger towards the Ravenclaw table.  
“Isn’t that hot one hitting up your girl?”

Turkey was everywhere.  The leg dropped into the mashed potatoes and she was pretty sure she had just spat some turkey bits into the pumpkin juice.  She had lost sight of the blonde from before, and when Skye looked in the direction her teammate had pointed, she found her.  Sitting.  Next to Jemma and Fitz.  Next to Jemma.

“That...mmmm…” Skye grit her teeth together.  She was pretty sure she had bent the fork she had been holding in her spare hand.  They were sitting all close.  Touching.  They were touching, that’s how close they were. Jemma’s face was all red and cute and flushed.  She was the only one allowed to make her that red.  Even her ears.  Even her ears were red.  
“Yeah.  Look, she’s totally hi-”  
“Shut the fuck up, Garry.”   
Skye’s hand was on the back of his head and suddenly he got a mouth full of potatoes and gravy as she slammed his head down into his plate.  He wouldn’t be saying anything else for a while.

The jealous creature she was, Skye’s brows furrowed and she didn’t eat for the rest of dinner.  Instead brooding as she sat there, bubbling over with rage watching as the new girl played with Jemma’s time turner.  
“Probably doesn’t even know what that is...blonde.  Dumb...dumb blonde...damnit.”

She was fairly certain the girl had grazed Jemma’s neck on purpose.  She was leaning over her, all tall and seductive and gorgeous.

“Damnit.”

She spent the remainder of dinner silent, glaring over at the table, watching her stupid smile and Jemma laugh.  The way she ripped into the remainder of her turkey leg, one would have thought she was imagining ripping out someone’s throat with her teeth.  It's because she was.


	3. Easy Lies

“Skye!” Jemma called to the other girl’s back outside in the common area the next day. “Skye, wait up!” Jemma held her books a little tighter and had to jog to reach her girlfriend’s side. Her strides were much longer than Jemma’s and usually she slowed down, but Jemma was having trouble keeping up.

Skye had been acting really strange since the night before. Usually The taller girl waited for her at the entrance to the Great Hall after dinner and they spent their remaining time together before they were confined to the common rooms of their houses, but she had been nowhere in sight the previous night.

Skye heard her name being called and she sighed heavily.  She slowed her strides and let her girlfriend catch up.  She was still in a sour mood from the night before, and she was sure that Jemma had noticed.  What was she supposed to say?  She couldn’t outright tell Jemma that she was jealous of whoever she had been talking to the previous night.  The shorter girl would think she was silly, or stupid, or something.  She couldn’t just act like it didn’t bother either, and so, stuck between a rock and a hard place, Skye decided to continue to be broody.   
“Hey, Jemma.”

For some reason, today the tone of Skye’s voice felt like a slap to the face and she almost stopped in her tracks. Skye wasn’t mad at her, was she? She couldn’t remember anything she’d done, but maybe she’d forgotten to meet her for something. She often did because she was so wrapped up in her work, but her girlfriend never minded before.

“What’s wrong?” Jemma tried to remain cheerful, but whenever Skye was moody, it tended to seep into her as well. They were almost like one person in that respect.

“Nothing,” Skye answered flatly.  She didn’t even look at Jemma.  If she did, she might spill her jealous little secret, and then Jemma would laugh at her and call her silly and there was no point in that.  It would pass soon enough, Skye hoped.  Normally she was more chatty than this and she knew Jemma would want more of an explanation than that.  
“I’m just a little nervous for Apparitions on Monday is all.  We are going to actually start going places,” Skye lied.  Well technically they were going to begin actually apparating starting on Monday, but that certainly wasn’t why she was upset.  In fact, she was very excited about Apparitions...but Jemma didn’t know that.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do excellent. You’ve been preparing for a while now.” Jemma beamed, happy that there wasn’t anything actually going on. She’d been worried for a minute there. The issue quickly vanished from her mind, as she knew Skye would be over it come Monday, and instead she’d be gushing about how fun it was.

“Hey Simmons.” A greeting reached Jemma’s ears and she caught Bobbi’s eyes ahead of them, traveling to her next class with a pack of her blue-clothed friends. She was given a wide grin and Jemma gave a little wave as they passed each other.

“It’s free period, what would you like to do?” Jemma asked Skye, completely forgetting that there’d been any problem at all.

Skye’s neutral expression quickly turned into a scowl when she saw the blonde walk by.  She had a stupid grin on her face and Skye wanted to smack it right off and onto the ground...maybe step on it some too.  Her mood worsened when she caught Jemma waving at her.  She needed to cool down, or she was going to lose it again, and this time there was no plate of potatoes to slam someone's face into.    
“You know what, I forgot,” Skye stopped suddenly and faced Jemma, grabbing a tight hold of her own bag strap as she tried to look anywhere but in her eyes, “Trip wanted me to come to the pitch during break today to finish our conversation from yesterday that I missed because I was chasing your doppelganger...so I’m going to go.” Skye motioned behind her towards the direction of the quidditch field with her thumb, “You should probably go to the library and study for that Arithmancy thing…”

She leaned down a bit and kissed Jemma on the forehead, just lightly, and turned and darted off down the stairs without saying anything else.

Jemma closed her eyes and felt the ghost of Skye’s touch lingering on her forehead. Something felt off about the way Skye was acting, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Any other day Skye would have blown off Trip if there was even a possibility that she wasn’t busy. She felt a little avoided, honestly.

She sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, pulling a novel out of her bag. Skye wouldn’t have known because she didn’t walk her to class today, but she’d already taken her arithmancy test and she’d used the time turner to come back to her free period with Skye. That’s ok, Skye wasn’t required to spend every spare minute with her.

__________

“Oh no.  What’s happened?  You look upset, girl,” Trip got up from the bench he was sitting on in the main hall.  He hadn’t been at the quidditch pitch like Skye had said because she had actually never agreed to meet him there.  It had been a lie.  She had done that a lot today it seemed.  
“Nothing,” She answered the same as she had with Jemma.  She came and took a seat next to him, shoving her bag off of her shoulders and onto the ground.  
“Don’t give me that.  Where’s lil’mama?  You two have this period free don’t you?” The tall Gryffindor sat back down, leaning back against the bench and watching his Slytherin best friend slowly lose it.

“That stupid...stupid blonde from Beauxbaton keeps hitting on Jemma,” There was a quiet ‘oh’ as Skye continued, “They’re all buddy buddy, smiling and waving at each other.”  Skye was propping her face up with her hands, her elbows on her legs and she had an irritated look on her face.

“She’s just making friends, Skye.  Thats part of the whole tournament thing after all, girl.  Got to keep the schools in good faith with one another.  Simmons isn’t going to do anything to hurt you.  If you don’t know that after five years then you’re dumber than I thought,” Trip smiled wide when Skye shot him a glance, her irritated face turning into a silly one as she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Yeah, yeah.  I know.  I’m still jealous though.  I can’t tell her.  That would be silly,” Skye sighed and sat back in the bench with him, putting her arms behind her head, “She would call me silly and tell me not to worry...but that’s not going to make me not worry.  Remember when she first started talking to Fitz?”  
“Oh, here we go…” Trip just shook his head and listened as Skye gushed on and on about how she had been so jealous when Jemma had met Fitz that the two didn’t talk for two whole weeks before Jemma finally confronted her about it.  The whole thing blew up and it only made Skye even more embarrassed to tell her about it.  Especially when Jemma had called her silly, as predicted, and assured her that they were just friends.  She was okay with Fitz now, but this new one was different.  Blondie needed to be stopped.

“Sounds like you just need a break for a while.  Get your mind off things.  What do you think about the tournament?” Trip asked, watching as the wheels in Skye’s brain began to switch gears.  It would be good for the girl to come off it for a while.  It might lessen the explosion later when the inevitable reveal happened.

“It sounds interesting,” Skye nodded, grinning now as she thought about it, “I can’t think of anyone who would enter except maybe Tony.  He is a seventh year though and about to graduate.  What would be the point of going into the games and dying on accident?  Seems like a waste of good brain power.”  
Trip laughed, nodding, thinking about the seventh year Slytherin Skye was talking about.  The kid was a genius, but also a notorious prankster.  He could see Tony wanting the fame of the tournament, but he didn’t think he was that dumb.

“I bet Steve will.  He won’t be able to resist.  He’s always out to prove himself,” Trip said, to which Skye nodded.  

“He’s only sixteen though.  According to the new rule only students seventeen and up and enter,” Skye reminded and looked around at the people who were passing by.  A lot of the conversation seemed to be about the tournament today.

“I bet I could do it,” Trip said, matter of factly, turning to Skye with a cocky grin.  
The brunette laughed and shook her head, “You!  I doubt it!  I don’t think hexes and enchanted snowballs will get you through those trials!  I have a better shot than you.  At least I know actual spells!”

“Oh girl, if you’re so good then, I dare you.  I dare you to write your name down and put it in the goblet.”

“What? No way,” Skye shook her head and stood up from the bench, grabbing her bag.  Jemma would kill her if she did a stupid thing like that.  That was probably the epitome of stupid things that she could possibly do.  
“Hey now, you can’t go back on a dare.  Remember our friendship agreement from fourth year?” Trip pointed an accusing finger at Skye as he stood up as well.    
“Fine, but I dare you to do it too.  Reverse dare. We both have to do it,” Skye concluded, holding out her hand for Trip to take.  It took the man a moment to think before he smiled.  Neither of them would get picked, not with so many better candidates for the goblet to spit out.  He took Skye’s hand and shook it firmly.  
“Deal.  Tonight after dinner then.”  
“Tonight after dinner,” Skye smiled and put her bag back over her shoulder.  If she didn’t leave soon she would be late for History of Magic, and though the situation with Jemma did make her jealous, she wouldn't miss sitting next to her in class.  She needed to make up for ditching somehow.

__________

When dinner came around again, Jemma grumpily marched over to her seat next to Fitz and dropped her bag on the ground. If the Great Hall hadn’t already been loud and bustling with activity, everyone would have stared at her for creating such a loud crash.

“Bloody hell!” The noise did startle Fitz, however, who practically jumped out of his seat. “What is wrong with you?” He asked.

Jemma had been in a sour mood since her free period. She was sure now that Skye wasn’t just nervous about Monday, it had to be something else. It just had to be. The Slytherin girl continually avoided her and when they were together, she wouldn’t look her in the eye. Something was up.

“I think Skye’s mad at me.” Jemma pouted. If Skye had been acting normal, she would have run over and kissed the annoyed look right off her face. She apparently thought it was cute when Jemma was moderately agitated. Fitz raised one eyebrow in question. The two girls never fought, they were like the Hogwarts Power Couple. The only time he’d ever known about them having any sort of disagreement was when Jemma starting spending a lot more time with him.

“What could she possibly be angry about?” he asked, lowering his eyes to follow Jemma’s movement as she sat down.

“You know as much as I do.” Jemma groaned and dropped her face into her hands. Skye was absolutely ridiculous.

“Maybe it’s the time turner thing.” Fitz suggested. Jemma suddenly jumped to attention. That could be it! This whole thing started just after that. Maybe after their makeout session Skye realized that she didn’t appreciate Jemma hiding something big like that from her. She’d seemed pretty ok with it at the time, but that was because they were up in the attic of the library and nothing else had mattered.

“You’re right. I probably shouldn’t have lied to her about it for so long.” Jemma sighed. She’d have to apologize after dinner, if she could catch the girl.

“Why the long face?” Jemma suddenly heard and felt Bobbi’s presence. When she was around, she made herself known. She slipped into what seemed to be her new seat next to Jemma and cocked her head to the side, wondering if there was anything she’d be able to do to make the tiny girl smile again.

“Nothing,” Jemma sighed, remembering the way Skye had said the exact same thing to her earlier. It clearly never, _ever_ meant nothing.

“Doesn’t sound like nothing. If you ever want to talk, give me a shout.” Bobbi offered a small smile and an affectionate nudge on her shoulder. One corner of Jemma’s mouth tilted upwards a little bit. It was nice to have more than one friend.

Dinner went by in a similar fashion as it had the night before for Skye, who basically sat brooding the entire time while this time her quidditch mates were smart enough to avoid her.  She was hungry, but she was too miffed to eat as she watched Bobbi continue to chat Jemma up and make her smile.  That was her job, and it was being stolen from her.  Somehow Skye didn’t equate not making Jemma smile to not being around because she was avoiding her.

Skye was about to stop watching, tired from all the eye daggers she had been throwing the blondes way and was about to finally decide to eat, when she had seen her get up, giving Jemma a sweet little goodbye and make her way out of the dining hall.  She could confront her.  She could tell her that Jemma was her girl and no one else's.  She could march right up to her and stand her ground.

Still fueled by jealousy, Skye shot up from the table, soon followed by Trip, who took Skye’s signal of getting up that it was time to put their names in.

Here they stood now, in front of the protective age circle around the fiery goblet, Skye with her arms crossed and brows furrowed again.  She had followed Bobbi all the way in here, meaning to confront her about Jemma, when she had watched the girl stride effortlessly over the age line and drop a small piece of paper into the goblet.  The girl didn’t even spare a glance at her as she walked back out, and Skye had stopped in a daze.

“She thinks she’s so great.  Waltzing in here and dropping her name in like she owns the place…” Trip heard her grumble.  He could only chuckle as he shook his head.  
“I take it she’s the one who's talking to Jemma?”  
“Talking to Jemma...touching Jemma...making Jemma laugh...making Jem-”

“Okay, girl, okay.  I get it.  Now, what you gonna do about it?” Trip asked, gently nudging Skye with his shoulder towards the age line.

Skye rolled the small piece of paper around in her hand for a moment, thinking it over.  She would never get picked.  There were so many better witches and wizards from Hogwarts that the goblet could pick as its champion.  It would never be her.  Obviously Bobbi wasn’t worried by it, so why should she?  She wasn’t a scaredy cat.  She wasn’t afraid.  She was just as confident as blondie.  
“I’m doing it.”

“You go girl,” Trip laughed and watched as Skye took the step over the line.  Her shoulders shifted back as she stood more upright, and she marched right up to the goblet and tossed her paper in.  Too late to change her mind now.  She withdrew her hand and returned across the line to Trip.

“Alright, man.  Go for it.”  
Trip did the same, and soon they both stood, having put their name into the goblet of fire.

“How do you feel?” Trip asked, nodding towards the door so they could walk out together.

“Like...a Champion,” Skye teased and shoved him playfully as they left the room.  Now that her bout of jealous rage was over and she had calmed down, she thought about Jemma.  She missed her and having not spent the last afternoon with her made her all achy inside.  Dinner would probably be over by now, so she waved goodbye to Trip and made her way to the entrance of the Great Hall to wait for her girlfriend.

“Skye!” Jemma exclaimed when she saw her girlfriend leaning against the doors this time. She could feel the grin on her face and she probably shouldn’t have been so excited just to see her there.

“I’ll talk to you later, Bobbi. See you in class, Fitz.” She waved goodbye to her friends and rushed over to Skye with her books held close to her chest like an excited schoolgirl. It kind of reminded her of first year, when she and Skye first met and she was still all nervous around her.

Skye smiled when she saw Jemma rushing up to her.  It slipped a bit when she spied Bobbi again, and her eyes narrowed in distaste, but only for a moment before Jemma turned back around.

“Hey you,” She smiled wider and her hands somehow found their way to Jemma’s hips and pulled her up close.  Skye resisted looking to see if Bobbi was still there.  If she was, all the better.  She leaned down and planted a needy kiss onto Jemma’s lips, one usually saved for the safety and comfort of the library attic, but she thought to spare one now.  Skye let it linger for a moment, just long enough to turn Jemma’s face red before she pulled away with a wicked grin on her face.

“Look, I’m sorry I’ve been moody today.  I can make it up to you...in the library,” Skye winked and relinquished her hold on Jemma’s hips to take her books from her and hold her hand instead.  They did have an hour or two before they had to be back in their common rooms.

“I’ve missed you.” Jemma smiled mischievously and tugged gently on Skye’s tie. Before Skye could drag her off to the library, Jemma pulled away for a moment.

“Skye, I’m sorry…” Jemma glanced down at their shoes on the floor for a moment and was very aware of the weight the time turner put on her chest.

“What? Sorry for what? You haven’t done anything…” _Have you_? Skye frowned at herself.  Of course she didn’t do anything, how daft could she be?  Still, the thought of her all buddy buddy with the blonde brought the knot back in her throat and she swallowed hard, calming herself down enough for the news.

“I know you’re mad I didn’t tell you about the time turner. That’s why you’ve been avoiding me, isn’t it?” A little anxiety could be heard in Jemma’s voice, like she was eager for forgiveness.  
“Oh,” Skye sighed in relief and smiled at Jemma, motioning for her to walk with her towards the library.  It was a good cover.  If that’s why Jemma thought she was upset, then she wouldn't have to worry about telling her about how stupid she was being jealous. “Yeah...you got me,” She brought Jemma’s hand up and kissed it gently, “I feel sort of stupid about it now.  Thats sort of a dumb thing to get mad over…” She played along.

_Thank god for Fitz_ , Jemma thought. She never would have figured out that Skye was upset about the time turner because she’d seemed so enthusiastic about it at first. If everything with Skye was back to normal, everything would be perfect. She hadn’t been able to enjoy the excited energy running around the school when she was constantly worried about Skye and the strange way she was acting.

“So we’re alright?” Jemma asked hesitantly. She needed assurance that Skye wouldn’t be disappearing on her again anytime soon.

“Absolutely.  Right as rain..lil’mama,” Skye laughed when she used the nickname Trip had given Jemma.  She wasn’t so sure that Jemma liked it, but Skye had to admit, Trip had been spot on when giving it to her.  “Now let’s go, or you’re not going to get anything.”

Jemma giggled and intertwined their fingers, happy that everything was back to the way it was.

  
  



	4. The Goblet of Fire

“You’re still pouting,” Jemma complained, linking her arm with Skye’s. They were walking slowly down the path to Hogsmeade, where they’d planned to enjoy their weekend. “Is this about quidditch being canceled?” She asked, knowing Skye well enough to know that she would be annoyed about not being able to play this year, especially when she only had a year left until they would graduate. It was warm outside, but Jemma stayed pressed against Skye’s side anyway. After their stupid fight, they’d almost gone back into the honeymoon phase again. That was one thing she liked about fighting a little, was how great their relationship was afterwards.

“Yeah…” Skye smiled though, feeling Jemma so close to her.  She had been pouting about it since the announcement, and it was her next to last year to be able to play.  She didn’t see why they couldn’t host the tournament and play quidditch.  It would make the school year even more fun.

She had managed to get Jemma all to herself all day so far with no sign of the blonde in blue anywhere on the horizon.  After their time in the library the previous night, Skye was feeling pretty pleased with herself.  Maybe not having quidditch wouldn’t be so bad.  Jemma would worry less and Skye would get scolded less...but she also wouldn’t be able to sit through Jemma playing doctor.  That was always the best part about bruises.

“I’ll be fine though.  You’ll just have to occupy all my spare time now,” Skye winked, “Give me something to do with all my extra energy I’ll have, since I won’t be channeling it into sports.”

Jemma grinned and stood on her toes to give her girlfriend a peck on the cheek as they continued walking.

“I have a feeling I’m not going to have as much time to work undisturbed.” She joked. She usually did all of her homework from the stands at the quidditch pitch during Skye’s practice, but now the girl would probably be pestering her. She didn’t mind much though, now that she had the time turner, she could do both. She could finish her studies and use her time turner to go back and spend time with Skye, as long as she made sure the two versions of her stayed away from each other and the professors didn’t find out what she was doing.

“Would you like to go the the Three Broomsticks? It’s my treat today.” Jemma offered.

“Oh yes, tempt me with candies and butter beer.  Might as well fatten her up since she can’t work it off,” Skye joked and smiled, nudging Jemma lightly as they came into town.  “Well, since it is your treat, how can I say no to free sweets?  Am I only limited to one kind of sugar, or can I access all of it?” The brunette grinned even wider and stole a quick kiss before unlinking their arms and jogging over to the candy store.  
“In here first? Please please?  Then Spintwitches to look at brooms? Please, Jems?” Skye put on her best pouty face, accompanied by her perfected puppy eyes.

Jemma laughed at her girlfriend’s ridiculous, childlike behavior, but she couldn’t say no. She never could.

“Sure, go for it.” She hurried to catch up as Skye slipped into the candy store.

Skye already had a bag in her hand and was filling it up with her favorite candy.  Jemma might regret having told Skye to get what she wanted, since her bag was now already half full of candy.  The Slytherin had a wild grin on her face and she visited all of her favorite containers, till she had gone around the store and held her full bag out to Jemma, with a single, chocolate frog on top.  “That’s for you.  I know you like them...er, the cards.  I know you like the cards.  I’ll eat the frog.”

When Jemma saw Skye’s bag, she rolled her eyes and pulled a little pouch full of coins from her pocket. It was good thing Strigi, her owl, had just brought her allowance from her mum, or she would have gone broke.

“I just hope it’s not another Headmaster Coulson, I already have five.” Jemma smiled and walked with Skye over to the counter to pay for her goodies. By the looks of it, they were going to be stocked for a while if she could manage to slow Skye down.

Skye smiled at her full bag of candy and took the frog container out before she shut it and stuffed it into her bag for later.  She had opening chocolate frogs down to an art, and so she slowly opened the top, preparing herself.  She shot a glance at Jemma to be ready, just in case she missed, and then opened it fully.  The dessert frog came to life, and just as it moved to jump out, Skye grabbed it with her free hand.  Her timing was on point, and the frog squirmed for just a moment longer before the short enchantment wore off.  She could never bite it while it was moving.

While she began to eat her pre-butter beer snack, she pulled out the wizard card from the box and handed it to Jemma.  “It’s Victoria Hand.  She was just here for the Triwizard announcement.  She looks exactly the same, business robes and all.  How many do you have of her?”  Skye questioned as she led Jemma from Honeydukes and down the street to Spintwitches, the local wizarding sports store.  She could already see the selection of brooms in the window.  Her own was six years old now and it hadn’t been a very in demand brand to begin with.  It was wearing down, so perhaps it was a good thing that quidditch had been canceled for the season.  It could give her enough time to save money for a proper broom, one fit for a future professional quidditch player.

“Two. I don’t think I’ll ever get a new card again.” Jemma joked, stuffing the moving picture into her pocket to add to her collection later. She caught Skye eyeing the brooms in the shop’s window and a small smile tugged at her lips. Her girlfriend wanted to be a professional beater, and if her games at Hogwarts proved anything, she’d be quite good at it. Jemma wasn’t completely sure about what she wanted to be, but she knew she wanted to do something in potions or alchemy. She could become a potions master, an alchemist, maybe even return to Hogwarts as a professor.

She noticed Skye staring at her, waiting, probably hoping she’d come with her to look at the brooms and listen to her explanations about the pros and cons of each model. She sighed dramatically and nodded just to humor her. She’d never let Skye know it, but she enjoyed watching her girlfriend get so excited when she talked about quidditch.

Skye smiled wide when she saw that Jemma was going to come in with her, and she courteously held the door open for her.  Once the door shut though, Skye was gone from Jemma’s side and wandering about the shop like a lost child in the candy store...which was fitting considering they had just been there.  Skye knew that Jemma got excited at the beginning of every school year when she could go into Slug & Jiggers Apothecary in Diagon Alley to pick out all of her potion ingredients, but this was different.  This was a whole new level of excitement.  This was Quidditch!

It got even higher when Skye spied the brooms in the window.  “Oh, Jems, look!  It’s a Nimbus 2000.  It’s fast and has the best control in the air since the Comet 140.  That’s what I have.  This is probably my best option...in my price range anyway,” Skye beamed looking at it, going over all the specs until she spotted the next one.

“Oh, oh look at it!  Its the 2001.  It’s even faster, built by the same company too.  It doesn’t have the nice seat dip but the foot holds are sturdier and make for a better grip when going faster.  It’s a good broom all around,” Skye nodded and turned to Jemma, making sure the girl was still paying attention.  She got a smile of reassurance, and so the brunette continued on to the next broom.  For a moment it looked like Skye was about to faint.  
“Jemma!  It’s a Firebolt!!  They have a Firebolt, holy shit!”  Skye’s eyes were alight with excitement as she slowly reached out to touch it.  The broom stand began to glow and just before her fingers could graze the wood, it shocked her, making her retract her hand.

“No touching!” She heard from the front of the store in a grumpy voice.

Skye’s shoulders slumped a little in response before she sighed, “This is the kind of broom a real quidditch player would use.  Both the Bulgarian and Irish National teams used this kind of broom!  It’s the real deal Jemma.  It goes _AT LEAST_ a hundred and fifty miles an hour, Jemma!  At least!”

"It sounds dangerous," Jemma frowned, trying not to imagine her girlfriend flying through the air at that speed when it was the intent of the bludgers to knock her off and possibly send her plummeting to her death.

“Quidditch is a dangerous game, babe.  Once, a game lasted for a month because the seeker and the snitch got lost.  Seriously, that was before they enchanted it to stay within the actual pitch.  Professional games now can last a long time, an entire day sometimes!  If both teams are really good it could almost go on indefinitely,” Skye shrugged, giving Jemma a smile.  “This is a safe broom though.  It’s made of ebony, super strong wood, but also light.  It’s also enchanted with a unbreakable braking charm.  It helps the handler stop the broom faster, and no one can break it so that they are unable to stop and run into things.”

Jemma scoffed, not seeing how that would really help.

"I don't think anything would make quidditch safe besides a protective field around your broom. Are you allowed to do that?  I can do that." Jemma fussed.

Skye laughed at how adorable Jemma was when she was concerned for her.  Before every game she always made Skye promise that she wouldn’t get hurt.  She inevitably broke those promises sometimes, but it couldn’t be helped.  Jemma would scold her for being reckless and mend her up.  Then of course they would celebrate with some hot cocoa and cuddles.

The brunette took her hand lightly and held it, nodding back towards the broom, “You don’t have to worry, Jems.  That’s not the broom I want.  And no, you can’t do that.  Enchanting the brooms is against the rules.  You don’t want me to get disqualified do you?”  Skye gave her a warm smile and pecked her on the cheek before she motioned behind her, to the last broom in the window.

“This.   _This_ is the broom I want.  The Firebolt Supreme.  The Bulgarian National Quidditch Team used these to win the World Cup last year.  This is a broomstick for quidditch if there ever was one, Jemma.  Isn’t she beautiful?”  Skye wanted to touch it, but she remembered what had happened last time.  She looked at the price, just out of curiosity and sighed.  It would cost her everything in her family’s vault for this kind of broom...plus and arm and a leg...and maybe her first born child too.

“She goes faster, flies higher, stops sooner.  Her handling is out of this world, I bet,” Skye shook her head and turned back to her girlfriend with a sad smile.  “It will probably be a Nimbus for me though.  Tried and true, I guess.  Nice and slow for you, Jems, so I won’t get hurt.  And the only broom in my price range.”

Skye sighed again, but kept her smile up for the sake of appearances.  She couldn’t have Jemma thinking she was upset again when it really wasn’t anything she should be worrying about.  Her Comet 140 had gotten her through the past five years.  It had been her mother’s broom during her seventh year at Hogwarts when she had played quidditch.  Her mother had been a Chaser for Hufflepuff, and an excellent one at that.  It was clear that Skye had inherited a lot of her athleticism.  But a player was nothing without a good broom, and up against something like a Firebolt Supreme, the Comet just wouldn’t cut it.

“Lets go get that drink now, lil’mama,” Skye squeezed her hand and led Jemma out of the sports store and across the way towards The Three Broomsticks.

____________

“Well, this is exciting, isn’t it?” Jemma asked. The entire hall was on an adrenaline high, excited to find out who the champions would be for the Triwizard Tournament.

“I thought you were against the whole dangerous, death defying stunts thing.” Fitz said skeptically, questioning Jemma’s sudden interest in the whole thing. Jemma knew what Fitz was talking about, she knew that her opinion about the whole thing was like a boomerang, it had completely changed and had come flying back in a different direction. The reason for this was that her new friend had decided to enter, and she was going to support her if she was chosen.

“You can’t tell me you’re not at least a little curious to find out who’s going to be chosen?” Bobbi asked, defending Jemma to her best friend and quirking an eyebrow at Fitz. Jemma giggled at the flabbergasted look on her friend’s face.

“Not at all.” Fitz said defensively, though she could tell he was lying. Everyone was wondering which student from their school they were going to be rooting for. Personally, Jemma hoped Bobbi wasn’t selected, but the taller girl seemed so enthusiastic about it, just like Skye was about quidditch. She’d actually found out that Bobbi played quidditch as well; she was a seeker. They would probably get along well, she should introduce them.

Jemma barely managed to fit in a few more bites of her dinner before Headmaster Coulson stepped up onto the podium. He didn’t even have to say anything for anyone to fall silent. His call for attention would only delay the choosing of champions.

“The time has come for the Goblet of Fire to produce the three champions which will be participating in the Triwizard Tournament,” the headmaster began.  A pin drop could have been heard the room was so quiet, everyone waiting in anticipation.  Trip gave Skye a thumbs up from the Gryffindor table, accompanied by a wide grin.  Skye returned it, feeling anxious herself to find out who would have the huge honor of representing their school.

Headmaster Coulson waved his hand but once, and the large stone goblet appeared before the podium.  “Per usual, ladies first,” the man smiled and everyone in the room focused as the fire in the goblet grew brighter before it spat out a spark, and a cinged piece of paper, which floated lightly into the air.  The headmaster caught it, and slowly unfolded the paper.

“The Champion from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is...Barbara Morse.  If you will please come forward to the podium,” The headmaster motioned to a place beside the goblet.  All the champions would be honored once they were chosen.  Reporters from the Daily Prophet were waiting to take their statements, as well as Victoria Hand and a handful of wizards and witches from the ministry to go over the rules and regulations.

At first, it hadn’t really registered in Jemma’s mind that Bobbi had been chosen, she hadn’t known that her first name was actually Barbara. When she recognized the last name, however, she looked at her friend with wide eyes. Bobbi was smiling and pumping her fist, like this was the best thing to ever happen to her. Sure, Jemma had supported her, but she didn’t think she’d actually get picked. Her mouth hung open as Bobbi slipped off of the bench and strode up to the front of the Great Hall.

“Of course goody two shoes would get chosen…” Skye grumbled, more to herself than to her teammates, who were all clapping for Bobbi anyway.  No one had time for her jealous fits tonight, and she could see why.  Jemma looked so concerned for her.  How sad, her new friend had just walked into a three way death trap for a sparkly cup that you couldn’t even drink out of.  Skye scoffed, catching Trip’s attention and pointing to Jemma.  The Gryffindor turned in his seat and spied the Ravenclaw girl.  She looked upset, but he was sure it wasn’t for the reason Skye was thinking it was.

He turned back to her and shook his head, giving a thumbs down.  She needed to lay the issue to rest.  Skye seemed intent upon doing the opposite.

When finally the room quieted again, with the help of Coulson’s raised hands, the fire spat forth a larger sheet of paper, burnt around the edges.  He caught it, as he had the previous one and waited a moment, letting the room prepare itself.  Skye could almost hear everyone suck in their breath.

“The Champion who will be representing Durmstrang Institute is Grant Ward.  Please come forward.”

The other men from Durmstrang all gave shouts and cheers, while their new friends from Hogwarts did as well.  The tall, burly looking man walked up to the stage, looking rather pleased with himself, as Bobbi did.  Skye thought they almost matched each other.  Apparently both had wanted this quite a bit.  Good, they deserved it.  There was just one poor soul left to be picked.

The cheers quieted down on their own as everyone watched the goblet intently for it to flare up again and release the last name...but it didn’t.  It burned the same as it had for the past couple of days, flickering about, but never glowing like it had twice before.  Murmurs began to crop up across the room and even the Headmaster looked a little perplexed.  When he moved to take a step from the podium, the fire suddenly burst to life, clearly having taken its time with its decision, and spat out a crumpled piece of paper onto the floor.

Coulson was fast to retrieve it, but Skye had already stopped paying attention.  What was the point anyway, it wouldn’t be anyone that she knew.  She looked over at Jemma, who seemed to be waiting with bated breath just like the rest of them.  Trip seemed equally as entertained, turning back to her to wink before he gave his attention back to the headmaster.

“The final Champion, who will be representing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy is…” the silence was so thick everyone could hear him un-crinkle the paper, “Daisy Johnson.  Please stand and come to the podium.”

Just like she thought.  Skye didn’t even think she knew a Dai-

“Oh, fuck…”

Her eyes shot to Trip first, whose mouth was hanging open before, gods prepare her, they darted over to Ravenclaw and fixed on Jemma.

When Jemma heard the name, it was like someone had just punched her in the chest. Her eyes widened as the syllables echoed across the quiet room. Only she knew who Daisy Johnson was, and she’d only heard the name off Skye’s lips in the confined space of the library when she’d first told her her real name.

She tried to swallow a lump in her throat as unexpected tears gathered in her eyes. How had this even happened? Skye wouldn’t have entered, and if she had, she would have told her about it. This had to be some kind of mistake, it just wasn’t possible. Maybe, as a prank, one of her quidditch teammates had put her name into the cup…No, they didn’t know the name Daisy Johnson. Skye did this herself.

She could feel her hands shaking and she knew that if she didn’t get out of here, she was going to blow up. She couldn’t deal with this right now, not in front of everyone. Before anything else could happen, she jumped out of her seat and sprinted towards the dormitories, leaving her bag behind. Fitz would bring it for her later, she just had to run. This wasn’t happening, it just wasn’t.

Skye shot up, almost tripping over the seat behind her as she tried to get out from the table.  Her mouth opened to shout for Jemma to come back, but her throat was dry, and no words came out.

“To the front here, please, Miss Johnson,” Headmaster Coulson requested again, and Skye felt her legs moving without her consent.  She was up, standing next to Grant and Bobbi, her eyes still wide before she realized she had even left her seat.  She was still staring at the door, where Jemma had rushed out.  She had left her.  She was alone and she wasn’t going to get any help.  This wasn’t supposed to happen.  She wasn’t supposed to have been chosen.

The name Daisy Johnson hadn’t meant anything to Bobbi, but when Jemma ran out in such a hurry with tears in her eyes, she found herself glaring at the girl responsible as soon as she stood. She’d seen them together before, and she’d seen this Daisy girl grab Jemma possessively the other day when she was around, and she didn’t like her. She grit her teeth and made it completely, one hundred percent clear to the brunette that it was not ok. She didn’t even care that a camera flashed at that particular moment.

Skye was still dumbfounded by the entire occurrence and it took the many bright flashes of light to bring her back.  She looked to Ward next to her who was smiling a wide, white toothy grin for the cameras.  Her eyes moved over to Bobbi and her own widened.  The blonde looked apt to kill her in that moment.  

The brunette’s face scrunched up in confusion.  Was she looking at her like that because Jemma had run out?  Of course she was.  This was the woman who had been hitting on her girlfriend for the past three days.  She had no right to look at her like that.  This wasn’t her fault.   _It’s yours_.  She glared right back and was about to open her mouth to say something before the reporters rushed in, cameras still flashing and began bombarding the three with questions.

“How do you feel now that you know you are a Champion?”

“What do you think the tasks will be like?”  
“What are your thoughts going in?”  
They just kept coming and Skye had to fumble around all of her answers, not really knowing what to say.  It had just been a dare.  A silly, stupid dare that wasn’t supposed to have turned out this way.

Everyone else had been ushered from the hall so that the press could get some privacy with their subjects and several hours had passed into the night before the Headmaster finally stepped in and dismissed the students.  Skye was exhausted emotionally and now physically after the interrogations and the flashing lights.  Bobbi had been giving her side eye the entire time, and the Slytherin was too tired to just sit back and take it.  
“Hey, whats your problem?!” Skye shouted across the hall as the other two champions were walking to their quarters.

The man turned around to look, “NOT YOU!”

He made a distasteful face before turning around and continuing on, mumbling to himself.  Skye was tall, but she wasn’t Bobbi tall, and it did take a moment for her to catch up to the blonde, but when she did, she grabbed her shoulder roughly and turned her around.

“I’m talking to you!”

Bobbi whirled around, completely ready for this confrontation. She’d been wanting to initiate it herself for a little while now. Jemma would probably get a kick out of the fact that Skye started this.

“I think you know _exactly_ what my problem is.” Bobbi used her height as an intimidation factor, as she usually did, and stood above the other girl. This Skye, as Jemma had always called her, deserved whatever she was going to get.

“Really?   _Really_?! Is it girlfriend stealing, because that’s what I think it is,” Skye shouted, moving up onto her tip toes as best she could to be just a little taller.  She wasn’t going to back down.  She was too tired and her better judgement had been left in the other room.

“Please,” Bobbi scoffed. “There wasn’t much there to begin with. Since I’ve been here, you only seem to talk to Jemma when it’s convenient for you. At least I’m around.” She said, trying to find some kind of sensitive spot in the other girl that she could completely exploit.

“Hey, you’re new here and it must be different at Beau buttons or whatever, but here new people don’t just butt into other peoples relationships!  You don’t _know_ me or my relationship with Jemma!”  She sure as hell didn’t only talk to Jemma when it was convenient for her.  She walked her to class every day.  She sat in the library with her to study even though she thought it was boring.  She read long, complicated books with her in the grass because Jemma liked the long complicated books.  She gave her every card from her chocolate frogs.  She always bought them in bulk herself so that she could by chance get one she didn’t think Jemma had.  She played it safe at quidditch, which yes, honestly didn’t work out much because she was a beater, but she knew it made Jemma worry to see her all banged up.  She didn’t have the best example of a healthy relationship growing up but Skye thought she was doing a pretty damn good job, and for Bobbi to challenge that was pushing all her buttons.

“I don’t need to be around for very long to know things about your relationship with Jemma.” Bobbi growled, taking a step closer and forcing Skye to take a step back. “Did you see the look on her face? Did you even tell her you put your name into the goblet of fire?” Bobbi added a slight shove to Skye’s shoulders as she continued to back her up.

“You can’t even accuse me of butting in when I didn’t even know there was something to butt into until you so animalistically marked your territory the other day. She’s been giving me signals this whole time. She blushes, she gets flustered, and it’s not like she objects whenever I touch her.” Bobbi grinned wickedly when she saw the horrified look on Skye’s face. She was winning and she knew it.

_Thats because she’s nervous.  She doesn’t like strangers.  She’s too polite to say no…_ Skye grit her teeth together, losing momentum fast and allowing herself to be pushed back.  She didn’t have any comebacks.  She had seen it.  Jemma smiling.  Jemma blushing.  Jemma laughing.   _She’s just shy...she’s just nervous.._.it wasn’t working.  Jemma liked it a little possessive sometimes.  She hadn’t been acting like an animal.  At least not yet.

Bobbi’s last comment was the last straw.  It was the last card in the castle and the deck was crumbling fast.  She wanted to wipe that shitface grin off and she wanted to do it now.  Fuck wands.

Bobbi might have been tall, but Skye was a beater, and she had the arm power.  The Slytherin girl let out an enraged shout, and her shoulder was plowing into Bobbi’s chest in a heartbeat, knocking them both down.  She wound her arm back and without another thought her fist collided with blondie’s face.

The surprised blonde covered her face with one arm to block the sudden incoming hits, and with the other, she grabbed a fistfull of Skye’s hair and tried to pull her off.

Apparently their yelling had drawn the reporters back in, because lights were suddenly flashing at them again.  It wasn’t often that the Champions fought outside of their tasks for the accumulation of points.  If the press hadn’t thought the two were rivals just from the interviews then they sure would now, and so would everyone else.

 

 


	5. Repercussions

Whenever Skye knew she was in trouble, she skulked up to the library attic.  It wasn’t a huge space, but it was just big enough to be comfortable in, the two of them.  Jemma had charmed it during third year to only let the two of them up.  This was their hiding place, and that’s what Skye was doing now.  Hiding...or rather, lying in wait and hoping Jemma would find her.  She held an ice pack against her bruised cheek and a shredded copy of the day's paper next to her.  Her knees were pulled all the way up to her chest and she was hiding under a blanket, not that anything could save her now, especially a silly blanket.

Finally, after hours of waiting, the door in the floor cracked open and Jemma climbed up, carrying another copy of the awful paper in her hands. She wasn’t here to comfort Skye, though, she was too peeved. She was angry. Angrier than she’d ever been at her girlfriend.

She would usually never yell in a library, not even in the attic of one, because it was a sacred place, but today was an exception.

“What the bloody hell is this?!”   
“...the Daily Prophet,” Skye mumbled, hiding her face in the blanket, not wanting to look Jemma in the eye.  She felt a sharp pain hit her in the top of the head before she swiftly moved back to the attic wall.  
“Hey, ow!” Skye saw the rolled up paper in Jemma’s hand.  She had actually hit her.  To be fair it was just newspaper and it hadn’t hurt that badly, but still!

“You’re an idiot!” Jemma yelled, throwing the paper at the floor and pacing a few steps. “You’re such an idiot…” She mumbled again, quieter this time. This didn’t mean she was through, though.

“You were never even mad about the time turner, were you?!” Jemma started. She had a lot she needed to yell at Skye about before she could even think about forgiving her. “You were just going to let me think I’d done something wrong, when really, you were being stupid and jealous! Again! Did you not learn anything from what happened with Fitz?!”

This is the part Skye had wanted to avoid.  The big bang that inevitably came whenever she was jealous.  She hadn’t spoken to Jemma for two weeks when she had first started seeing Fitz more, but the brunette didn’t think that would even to compare to what she was about to listen to.

“You attacked someone, Skye!” Jemma continued, snatching up the paper from the ground again and shoving it in Skye’s face. Plastered on the front was a never ending moving picture of the punch Skye had thrown at Bobbi’s face underneath the headline "Triwizard Triangle".

“First you were jealous again for absolutely no reason, and then you lied to my face about it!”

“Only because you were going to yell and call me an idiot, like you’re doing right now!”

“Stop it, Skye! Stop making dumb excuses!” Jemma actually threw the paper at her this time, and Skye moved to the side just enough for it to barely clip her shoulder before smacking into the wall behind her.

“You put your name into the Goblet of Fire! You signed your own death certificate and you didn’t even bother to tell me!” Something in Jemma broke. She’d been furious, she wanted to take her anger out on Skye, but she just couldn’t. She was mad, but she was also terrified and worried as hell.

“You idiot…” Jemma cried. Her voice cracked and she turned away so Skye wouldn’t see her pathetic tears. She needed to stop crying. It was basically her response to everything, and it never accomplished anything.

“I hate you so much,” Jemma sobbed, finally letting the dam break loose. She tackled Skye, wrapping her arms around the other girl’s neck and refusing to let go.   
Skye had been preparing for something very different, and when Jemma tackled her back it only took a second for her arms to wrap tightly around the smaller girl.  Her features softened.  She wasn’t out of the woods, but the fireballs had stopped raining down and the trees weren't on fire anymore.  
“Jems...I know I’m an idiot, I’m sorry,” Skye breathed and kissed the side of the girl’s face.  “Trip and I dared each other...it-it was a stupid prank...I wasn’t…” She sighed and held the sobbing girl.  She wanted to cry herself.  What had she gotten herself into?  A trio of dangerous tasks where young witches and wizards had been notoriously known to be injured and even killed.  Even the headmasters were at risk sometimes.  Jemma was right.  She was an idiot.  She had signed her own death certificate.

“I love you, Jemma...I’m so sorry.”

“Idiot…” Jemma mumbled again, not being able to come up with anything else to say. She clutched the material of the back of Skye’s shirt tightly in her balled up fists and let her tears stain her shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, I got that,” Skye grinned halfheartedly and just let Jemma hold her.  If this was going to get all of the girl's frustration out, then she was going to let her do it.  Seeing her face when Jemma had run out of the dining hall after the announcement had hurt more than anything in the tasks could.  Skye sighed and kissed the side of Jemma’s face again, rubbing her hands up and down her back to try and calm her down.

When Jemma finally gained control of her emotions, the crying died down to an occasional sniffle. There was nothing they could do about it now, Skye had to compete, whether they liked it or not. She pulled away from Skye just enough to give herself room to wipe away the last few tear streaks on her face with the back of her wrist.

“The first task is on Halloween. We better start getting you ready.” She said emotionlessly. She felt a little hollow inside, and she didn’t know what to think about it.

Skye sighed and crossed her arms.  Jemma was trying to separate herself from the situation already, now that she had calmed down and could think without throwing something at her.  Skye did not like this version of Jemma, although she knew it was her own fault.

“I don’t have to get ready now,” she countered quietly and gently grabbed for one of Jemma’s hands.  “I’ll be fine.  I get through quidditch okay, and you patch me up nice.  You’re the smartest witch at this school, Jemma.  I’ll be able to tackle anything.”  Skye knew that outside help wasn’t allowed for the champions, but she also knew that they always received it anyway.  Figuring things out and playing the game was part of the tournament now, as much as the task itself.  What went on outside of it was just as important.

Normally, Jemma would squeeze Skye’s hand right back, but at the moment, her touch just felt overwhelming. She pulled away gently and looked down at the wooden floor.

“I’ll- I’ll go find some spellbooks for you to start with. You don’t pay attention in class, so you probably don’t know enough.” Jemma swallowed and headed straight for the exit. The door creaked again as she opened it, and she stared at it like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She just didn’t want to look at Skye’s face, because she knew her walls would crumble.

Skye watched her go before her gaze fell to her hand.  It was empty of course, Jemma had just left.  She didn’t want spell books...she wanted Jemma’s time turner to go back and fix what she had messed up.  But she didn’t think that's how it worked.  Jemma was right, she didn’t know enough.  She was an idiot, and so she brought her knees back up to her chest and sat under her blanket in the attic of the library by herself.

__________

October snuck up on Jemma and Skye faster than either of them were expecting or prepared for. It was beginning to get cold out, and Jemma missed when she and Skye actually enjoyed their time together. Almost every minute they spent in the same room was dedicated to making sure Skye learned as many helpful spells as possible. They still hadn’t addressed the growing issue of the limbo their relationship was stuck in. They were together, but they weren’t.

“You should go over these again,” Jemma sighed. She flipped open an old book to a page of particularly challenging spells and placed it in front of Skye on the library table. They hadn’t even been using the attic recently, it was further away from the books and therefore less convenient, no matter how much comfort it had given them before.

“Jemma, I’m tired.  If I cast any more spells my wand is going to snap in half out of defiance,” Skye groaned when she looked down at the book.  The words looked complicated and she didn’t want to read them.  She put a hand on the book and shoved it away.  “At least let me eat something.  All my spare time doesn’t have to be preparation for Halloween.  I don’t even know what it’s going to be, so how can I even prepare?  I can’t...just leave it alone,” the brunette grumbled and held her chin in her hands as she looked over the library.  There weren't many students in yet, of course it wasn’t finals season so there wouldn’t be.  Skye wanted to focus on other things, like trying to get her and Jemma back to normal.  It was awful, this in between shit that was going on, but every time she brought it up Jemma just shoved another book in her face.

“Of course, we can take a break for a few hours.” Jemma gave in. She was exhausted. Her schoolwork alone left her tired, but now she spent even more of her time searching for spells that might help Skye in any way. She shouldn’t have expected Skye to be able to study for so many hours straight, she just didn’t have that kind of focus.

She reached for the book in front of Skye, slipped a ribbon inside to mark the page, and tried to find a place in her bag where it would fit. She was pulling out different books, trying to figure out if there was any way she could make them all fit. In her frustration, she let one of them fall to the floor, and it fell open, scattering papers everywhere.

Jemma groaned and quickly tried to gather up the papers. She’d stuffed them in the book because she didn’t want to see them again; they had horrible grades scrawled on the top by her professors and sometimes notes to see them after class.

“Finally…” Skye sighed in relief and pushed her chair back from the table.  She let Jemma take the book away from her and watched her try to put it into her bag.  It made Skye smile because it wouldn’t fit.  She simply had too many books.  She always had too many books, but that was Jemma.  Even over the summer she had a stack of them from floor to ceiling that she had to read before classes began again, and she would always finish them. Skye thought it was adorable.

Her light mood didn’t last long when the papers spilled and she caught sight of the grades scattered across the floor.  
“Jemma…” Skye leaned over and grabbed some, looking at them for a quick second before she handed them back to the Ravenclaw.  She was overworking herself.  Between already having too many classes and now having to help Skye try to not get killed, she was slipping behind.  It was Skye’s fault she was falling behind.  If she hadn’t put her name in that stupid cup then everything would be fine.  It was her fault.

“Jemma, you can’t keep helping me like this,” Skye said, firmly this time, trying to get the point through her girlfriend’s suddenly thick skull.  “You’re not even doing well in potions.  Jemma, you love potions.  Helping me is too much.  You can’t do it, I won’t let you.  You need to focus on your classes…”

“Don’t be silly.” Jemma interrupted her. She was embarrassed that Skye had to see those grades. The brunette was probably already stressed out enough with the whole having to compete in a deadly competition thing, she didn’t need to know about this. “Trying to save your life comes before classes.” She mumbled, not entirely sure Skye could even hear all of it.

“Enjoy your break.” She said sadly, stuffing the old assignments into her bag. She had a paper to write, and the library just didn’t feel like a good place to do it anymore. She’d been hiding out in the Ravenclaw common room to do her homework when Skye wasn’t studying and she wasn’t helping Bobbi. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on between them, but Bobbi was her friend too, and she couldn’t let either of them get killed when there was something she could do to help.

“Fat chance of that…” Skye grumbled and got up from the table to pick up her bag, which was full of other books Jemma had given her to study, and slung it over her shoulder.  She didn’t feel much like being in the library either at this point, and she didn’t dare try to go to the attic.  All she would do up there was wallow in her own guilt.  She would drown in it.  She would grab a sweet roll from the dining hall, or two, and go find Trip.  If she couldn’t talk to Jemma then he was the one to go to.  She needed to clear her head.  Maybe they could go flying.  She hadn’t been on a broom since the practice before her name had been called.  She missed quidditch, and the bumps and bruises it brought, even if it made Jemma worry, because at the end, Jemma would always be there, patching her up and kissing all her bruises.  At this point, if she even made it through the first task, she doubted Jemma would even go get bandages for her if someone asked.  She deserved it though.

“We’ll meet back here in two hours?” Jemma suggested. She blinked a few times, trying to fend off sleep. It had been clawing at her for days, trying to drag her down. Now was not the time, she had a lot to do today. She was going to utilize the two hours she’d just gained to work on her paper. She had a study session set up with Bobbi later that evening as well.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded, fiddling awkwardly with her bag.  Jemma looked exhausted.  Really they both did, but Skye wasn’t the one using a time turner to make it to all of her classes.  The least she could do was use it to grab some sleep for a couple hours, but Skye figured that fell under the abusive privileges area, and Jemma didn’t break rules.

She left then, not wanting to keep up with their strange idle chatter.  It wasn’t them.  Once, they had been able to sit in silence and be completely fine, albeit the silence did not last long because Skye’s attention span was much too short to focus on anything for more than a couple hours at a time.  Maybe that’s why she found studying these spells so hard.

Skye stopped by the dining hall as she had planned and grabbed two sweet rolls and a container of pumpkin juice.  Trip would probably appreciate a snack as well.  Jemma hadn’t been the only person helping Skye out.  Thanks to trip, they had found a secret room to practice all the spells that not even the other Champions could get into.  That was because they wouldn’t be able to find the door.  It was a good way to keep them from spying on her tactics, and from other people constantly asking her how she felt being the Champion, or other stupid questions Skye didn’t want to answer.  

He called it the Room of Requirement, and apparently it turned into whatever sort of room the person before the door needed it to be.  He had been walking by the wall, trying to think of how to help Skye, and the door had just appeared to him.  When he entered, it was a vast open room, full of nothing.  Perfect for spell casting.  Nothing to break, but plenty of room to test.  She didn’t tell Jemma about it because it was the one place she could go to now and just...release all of her stress.  She could cast stupefy all she wanted till her arm and wrist were sore and talk to Trip about everything.  He tried very hard to be helpful.  He hated seeing her and Jemma apart in such an awkward place just as much as she did.

When Skye made it to the hall, she quickly checked to make sure that no one was watching, and she willed the door to come forward.  When it did, she slipped inside quickly, and the door vanished on the outside wall.  Trip was waiting for her on a large couch.  It was the only other object in the room.  After weeks of having nowhere to sit, he had willed it into existence the next time they opened the door.

“I have good news for you,” Trip said, a wide grin on his face.  His hands were behind his back, hiding something from her view.

Skye’s solum face cheered up for a moment, wondering what he could have brought her to study this time.

“I took a stroll past the restricted section in the library, and spied this.  I thought it could help you,” He held out a thin, old worn black book to her.  The title had long since been rubbed away and the pages looked frail.

“You’re going to get in trouble for that,” Skye warned, taking the book eagerly and flipped through the pages.  She stopped on a random one, looking at the thin paper and the worn words on it.

“Sectumsempra...these sound intense, Trip.  Thanks,” Skye smiled and sat down on the couch with him, shutting the book and setting it aside.  “These might just give me the edge I need.  Jemma is bringing me a lot of spellbooks, but a lot of them are defense based.  I think I know at least five different spells to summon a shield of something.  Most of it is studying.  Anything and everything.  Not even spells sometimes.  Here, learn this plant, it could poison you, here look at this creature, they could use it.” Skye sighed, “These will be a nice change.”

“You won’t be afraid to use them?  I looked through the book and some of them are pretty dark.  No unforgivables, but still, they’re not good,” Trip commented as Skye passed him a sweet roll and the container of pumpkin juice.

“I need every advantage I can get.  If I have to use rough offensive spells to complete the task then I will.  I’m not scared of my father’s blood.  I can handle it,” Skye assured him, eating her own sweet roll now.

“Yeah girl, but can you handle the press when they see you using them?  They’re going to make the connection at some point, you need to be ready,” The Gryffindor boy warned one last time.

“It’ll be fine.  Only Jemma knows, and she won’t tell anyone.  I can control myself around dark spells.  I won’t slip.”

 


	6. Somnus

Jemma didn’t even realize that she’d been working on schoolwork all night long until a beam of sunlight from the window behind her hit her parchment and a few Ravenclaw students began to exit the dormitories into the common room.

“I thought you said you were almost finished.” Fitz suddenly appeared behind her. The lack of sleep made her jumpy and she almost slipped off the chair. He was referring to the conversation they’d held late last night before he finally went up to bed.

“I thought I was almost finished, but I remembered that I had Arithmancy homework I’d been neglecting.” Jemma informed him, quickly shuffling all her supplies into one pile and dumping it into her bag. She’d given up on her perfect organization system days ago. Fitz placed a hand over Jemma’s and was alarmed to feel how shaky it was.

“This isn’t healthy.” He said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest and watching Jemma try to make her appearance socially acceptable. She didn’t have time to take a shower or even put her hair into its usual perky ponytail, and she didn’t bother brushing it, instead barely combing her fingers through it a few times. She smoothed wrinkles out of her robes and slipped her bag onto her shoulder.

“We’re going to be late to breakfast if we don’t hurry.” She told him, changing the subject. Most of their house had already filtered through the common room and was on their way to the Great Hall.

Jemma wasn’t stupid, she was the opposite. She knew exactly what she was doing to herself, but even with the time turner, there just wasn’t enough time to get everything done. The more she used the device to travel back in time, the more hours she spent awake in a day. She could feel her eyes constantly drooping, but she didn’t have time to sleep. She had to help Skye and Bobbi, and she had to finish her schoolwork. In a week, the first task would be over and she’d have a little time to relax before she started preparing her friends for the next one.

“Will you please just go to bed? I’ll bring you some food and you can eat it on the way to your first class.” Fitz begged. He’d tried everything, but he couldn’t get his stubborn best friend to listen to him. He would go to Skye, but he no longer knew if she had any influence on her decision making at all anymore.

“Oh, Fitz.” Jemma rolled her eyes and pushed past him. She appreciated that he was worried about her, but it was just one more thing on the very long list of things she didn’t have time for. She was slowly drowning and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. At this point, she was even considering dropping out of Muggle Studies next semester. It wasn’t a very important class, and it would give her a few more free periods and a little less homework.

Skye was flipping through the pages of the black book Trip had snagged for her several weeks back.  She had already picked out several spells she thought would be helpful and they had been practicing them in the room of requirement.  There were a few more she had marked that she wanted to get a handle on before the Trial in a week, but it didn’t look like there would be enough time to learn all of them.

Trip was next to her, both having already finished breakfast.  Skye looked up from her book when he nudged her side.  He nodded to the entrance of the dining hall and Skye followed his gaze, her eyes landed on Jemma.  She looked terrible.  Surely she had to know what she was doing to herself.

“Lil’mama's not looking so good there, Skye.  You two still haven’t gotten back into the groove have you?” Trip asked, putting his hands in his lap and looking rather disappointedly at Skye.

“What?  I told her not to help me, and she keeps doing it.  She won’t rest,” Skye shook her head, “I’ve tried to talk to her but she keeps brushing me off.  That’s on her…” It was a lie, and perhaps a harsh one, but with the task coming up Skye couldn’t focus on everything.  She needed to live so that she could fix things with Jemma.  She didn’t think fixing things with Jemma, only to die in five days, would make it much better than things were now.

“She won’t listen to me, so I can’t do anything.  I don’t have a say anymore,” She looked back down to her book, waving her hand in the air in spell motions as she tried to memorize the instructions for it.  “I can’t make her sleep,” the Slytherin mumbled, to which Trip nodded, putting his hands back on the table while he watched Jemma and Fitz walk over to a table to eat during the last few remaining minutes.

Suddenly, he nudged Skye again and she shot him an annoyed look before she saw his face.

“What?”

“You _can_ make her sleep,” He stated, taking his finger and putting it down on the book.  “She needs the rest.  You’ll be doing her a service.”

“What?  No, Jemma would be even more mad at me than she is now,” Skye retorted, taking the book away so that Trip couldn’t touch it anymore.

“It’s just one little spell.  You’ve been practicing it anyway.  There are no side effects, other than a restful awakening eight hours later.  Thank you for that, I might add,” Trip grinned, sitting back, putting his arms behind his head as he watched the wheels in Skye’s head turn.

“Damnit, I hate you sometimes.  She’ll be so mad,” Skye shook her head and looked over to the table where Fitz and Jemma were now sitting.  Fitz could help.  He was in all of Jemma’s classes anyway...or, most of them.  He could turn in Jemma’s homework for her and take notes!  Skye could deliver what Fitz couldn’t to her other classes.  She didn’t mind skipping her own since she would probably be dead in a week anyway.

“Fine,” Skye tore a piece of paper from a notebook in her bag and began to scribble on it, then folded it into a tiny airplane.  She took out her wand and after a swish and a flick, the little plane was zooming over the heads of other students and landed lightly on top of Fitz’s breakfast.  He could see how Jemma was too, and Skye knew that he would want to help.  
 _Fitz,_

_I need your help to get Jemma to get some rest.  Get her to meet with me in the library attic and I’ll explain after.  You probably need to escort her there.  I doubt she’ll go on her own.  Please, help._

_-Skye_

Fitz nodded discreetly and stuffed the note into his pocket before Jemma could see it. Even now, her eyes were glued to the pages of the book in front of her. It was a relief to know that Skye was planning something to help Jemma, but there was only one problem. He didn’t even know the library had an attic, so he was going to have to come up with some way to get Jemma there without it being a surprise.

Just as a plan began formulating in his head, he had the misfortune to spot Bobbi heading their way. Getting Jemma to go to the attic was one thing, but how was he supposed to also convince Bobbi to leave them alone when she and Jemma shared their first class together today? When the tall blonde approached, she didn’t even register on Jemma’s radar until she was greeted.

“Are you alright? You look a little sick.” Bobbi pointed out, as if Jemma hadn’t already known herself. She was starting to get annoyed by all the worrying, it was only causing her more trouble.

“I’m just fine.” Jemma grumbled, not looking away from her book. She was taking a test on this lesson today and she hadn’t finished it. Bobbi gave Fitz a worried, questioning glance, to which he responded with a slight shrug.

“We can cancel our study date tonight…” Bobbi offered. She knew as well as anyone that Jemma had been helping Skye more than she was taking care of herself, and even though it made her jealous, she’d cancel some of her time with Jemma in a heartbeat if the tiny girl would just get some sleep. She worried that Jemma would just take the free time and turn it around to Skye, though.

“No, absolutely not. I found some excellent spells the other afternoon.” Jemma said. She was like a robot, she didn’t even attempt to make eye contact with anyone while she spoke. Bobbi would have protested, but the brunette getting up from her seat caught most of her attention. She caught the look she exchanged with Fitz, and she just knew they were planning something. That something obviously had something to do with Jemma, because the both of them glanced at her afterwards.

“Jemma, can I speak with you for a moment?” Fitz asked. Bobbi narrowed her eyes and quickly made a decision. Fitz looked up at Bobbi expectantly and she folded her arms over her chest.

“Hey, I can take a hint.” She said with a small smile. She walked away as if she was giving the two friends some space, but really, she followed Skye out into the hall and towards the library. If Skye and Fitz hadn’t been acting so suspicious, she would have just assumed Skye was going to read spells again when she went to the library, but she kept looking over her shoulder as she neared the back, where the books on the shelves were covered in dust from neglect. She had to know what was up, especially if it had to do with Jemma.

“Skye!” She called out, finally deciding to catch up with her. She cut the stalker crap and stepped out into the open where the other girl could see her. “I know you and Fitz are planning something and I want to know what it is.” She demanded.

Skye visibly jumped before turning around quickly.  She already had her wand in her hand, having been about to open up the secret door that led to the library attic.  Jemma had hidden it very well and charmed it to only recognize the two of them.  The fact that Bobbi had obviously followed her here startled her and infuriated her at the same time.  She had no business being on the verge of discovering their secret place.

“What we do is none of your business,” Skye retorted.  Her hand twitched, holding her wand tight.

“It is when it has to do with Jemma. Despite what you’d like to think, we’re actually friends.” She growled, eyeing Skye’s wand and deciding if she wanted to retrieve her own. Skye had attacked her last time, after all. She probably wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

“Jemma is none of your business either,” Skye snapped.  Her actions were faster than her better judgement and her hand was up so fast, wand gripped just so, “ _Somnus_!” A bright flash of light burst from the tip of her wand and then there was a thud as Bobbi hit the floor.  She hit pretty hard too, there may or may not be a bruise later.

Skye grimaced for a moment before she tucked her wand away and looked around the library.  No one was in the back.  No one was ever in the back.

“Shit...shit, shit, shit…” Skye rolled her eyes. How stupid was she?!  If this hadn’t been Trip’s big idea to get Jemma to get some rest then she wouldn’t have just accidentally tested the spell on Bobbi.  It had apparently worked though, the girl was fast asleep and wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon.  The Slytherin girl sighed and grabbed a hold of the blonde’s arms and slowly dragged her to a back corner, propping her up in a chair and gently took a book from the shelf and placed it over her face.

“Not as skinny as you look…” Skye breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly rushed back to open the door, now that her accidental fiasco had been taken care of.  She was going to wait in the attic for Jemma.  They already had some blankets and a cozy couch in there, so it would be comfortable for her to sleep on.  They had done it more than once.

“What is it, Fitz?” Jemma asked, still never letting her eyes wander from the book. She casually turned a page and ignored her friend’s annoyed expression. Fitz was starting to have second thoughts. He was going to have to tell some pretty big whoppers to get Jemma to go meet Skye, but he figured the benefits would be greater than the losses.

“Skye told me she needs to meet you in the attic. It’s urgent.” He knew it was enough to bait Jemma into finally putting down the book, and she did. Fitz swallowed a lump in his throat and quickly blurted out the line he’d just thought of.

“She found something about the first task and she really needs your help to figure out how to survive it.” He told her. Jemma’s eyes widened and Fitz could already feel the guilt creeping in, but he’d come this far. He couldn’t say “just kidding!” and let her go back to reading.

She snapped her book shut and shoved it into her bag. The note said Fitz should come with her, but it didn’t look like she’d be needing an escort to get there. It’s not like he’d know where to go anywhere.

“Thank you Fitz, I’ve got to go.” She said in a rush, pushing strands of hair out of her face and tucking them behind her ears in her panic to get to Skye. What had Skye found out? Did she know what the first task was? A sudden rush of excitement took over as she practically ran to the library. They still had a few more days, if they worked hard enough, they could come up with a whole solution.

Once Jemma finally reached the back of the library, she fumbled with her wand for a few moments before she finally got the door to appear for her, and she climbed up the extended ladder a little awkwardly because her bag weighed her down so much on one side.

Skye realized they hadn’t been in the attic since Jemma had yelled at her the day she was chosen by the goblet of fire.  It made her anxious, standing there waiting, but soon she heard the familiar click of the door and Jemma coming up the ladder.  She toyed with her wand before she shoved it up her sleeve just as the girl's head came up through the trapdoor.  The brunette breathed a sigh of relief to see her there.  Fitz had succeeded, now it was all up to her.  She was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room but she couldn’t help the smile that crept over her face when she saw Jemma.

Skye could see just how tired she really was, now that she could see her up close and not from afar over breakfast tables and past other students.  She really, really needed to rest.  Jemma would probably be angry when she woke up, but Skye had a plan.  She just had to follow through with it.

“Hey, Jems…” she used her nickname this time, which she hadn’t since the name drawing day.  Skye hoped it would smooth over the events which were about to happen.

“This is excellent, Skye! What did you find out? If we plan it right you could definitely get through this first task.” Jemma rambled, finally excited again for the first time in weeks.

Whatever Fitz had told her sure had the girl worked up.  It was nice to see her excited after so long, Skye just hated that whatever it was, it was a lie.  She played along though, she had to.

“Oh yeah, yeah,” Skye smiled and nodded for Jemma to come closer, “I’ll show you what I’ve got worked out for it.  I think it needs the Simmons touch but it might just work,” She pulled out her wand from her sleeve and held it gently.

Jemma smiled and nodded enthusiastically, dropping her bag without hesitation and taking the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. If Skye had something big on the first task, maybe everything would start to look up again. She’d have an advantage over everyone else and a smaller chance of dying, which was of course the better of the two pieces of good news.

“Alright, you have to guess what it is,” Skye smiled, weakly though, and held the wand up, pointing it to the floor, “Now pay attention or you’ll miss it.” She held her breath and when she saw Jemma had her full attention on the wand, she swished her wrist and Jemma’s eyes would take in the bright flash of light that Bobbi’s had just minutes before.  
“ _Somnus_ ,” Skye was almost not prepared, but she dropped her wand and reached out, catching Jemma’s dead weight in her arms, almost making her fall down herself. She held her firmly, and carried her as best she could over to the couch and laid her down gently.

“Add this to the long list of things I’m sorry for, Jems…” Skye sighed and gave the girl a kiss on the forehead before she pulled the blankets up over her.  She would sleep for a good eight hours.  It would be a restful sleep, as Trip had confirmed, being her first test subject.  Jemma needed it.

Skye quickly rummaged around and found a piece of parchment and a quill and began to scribble a note down for her so that Jemma wouldn’t worry when she woke up.  She stacked it on top of her bag, which she placed by the foot of the couch.  It explained that she and Fitz would deliver her homework to all of her classes and he was taking notes that she could have to study when she got up.  Skye took all of Jemma’s homework from her bag to turn in for her while she rested.  Jemma really needed the rest, and though Skye felt bad about tricking her, she refused to feel bad about the reason.

She picked up her own bag then and slung it over her shoulder before she went through the trapdoor and down the ladder.  She came back out into the library and sealed the door back.

“Fitz?” He was supposed to have escorted Jemma here, but after calling for him several times, the man did not show.

“Damnit,” Skye would have to find him, if he wasn’t already in class...or she would have to run around like a mad woman to deliver all of Jemma’s homework.  Somehow, something always seemed to backfire this year.  First the goblet then her fight with Bobbi and now this.  Trouble always came in threes.  Maybe it meant that her bad karma had passed and  the task would work out just fine.


	7. Rare Unicorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting a little more than T rated guys so prepare yourselves!

When Jemma’s eyelids fluttered open, she just knew it wasn’t anywhere near the same time she thought it was. The small amount of sunlight streaming in from the little window in the attic was warm on her face, she had to have been here for some time. It was a little foggy for a few minutes, but the memories came rushing back quickly. She remembered coming to meet Skye about the task, and she remembered Skye pointing her wand at her, and then that was it. Frustration bubbled up in her mind, but a tiny part of her also felt really good. Whatever Skye had done definitely made her feel better.

A wide range of emotions toyed with her thoughts for a few moments. She wanted to be angry, but she found she was also disappointed by the fact that Skye hadn’t actually found anything. She was back to square one when it came to worrying about her. Panic hit her next, and she reached for her bag so she could dart out of the library and possibly make a class or two, but instead, she found a heartfelt note from Skye sitting there. She was apologizing for having to trick her, but it also sent relief flooding through her veins. In the note, she’d promised that she and Fitz had taken care of her homework and her notes for the day.

Jemma settled back into the old, ratty cushions of the couch and held the note against her chest. Skye used to do little things like this for her all the time. Not charming her, but leaving her notes, of course. She was a little upset that Fitz and Skye lied to her like that, but she was also feeling grateful. For the first time since all of this started, she felt well rested. If she could have, she would have stayed in the attic for the rest of the night, but the head of her house would go into a panic if she didn’t return.

Her bag wasn’t nearly as heavy as it had been earlier that day. She must have had a lot more homework than she thought. She smiled a little bit at the image in her head of Skye running around trying to turn in the homework for classes she didn’t share with Fitz. Skye probably completely understood her need for the time turner now.

She lingered in the attic for a few more moments, just soaking up the energy inside. She missed coming up here with Skye every day. If she could get a handle on everything that was going on, she should try to do it more often again.

She climbed down the ladder and into the library as quietly as she could. She didn’t want to disturb the silence. Just as the enchantment on the door came into effect and it disappeared from view, Jemma heard a small groan from a few stacks over.

“Bobbi!” Jemma jumped in surprise when she rounded the corner and found the other girl there, trying to stretch out her back in one of the less comfortable chairs the library had to offer. Bobbi looked up at her in surprise, then confusion, and then annoyance.

“Did she get you too?” Jemma asked with a small laugh. She could just imagine Skye casting a spell on the girl because she got too close to their secret hiding spot.

“Did she do anything to you?” Bobbi asked in concern.

“No, absolutely not. I kind of needed it anyway.” Jemma brushed off Bobbi’s concerns like they were nothing.

“Are you ok on your own? I’m going to go find Skye.” Bobbi grunted a little bit and waved her off. There was nothing she would be able to do to stop Jemma from running to her girlfriend like a puppy even if she tried. Jemma smiled and scurried out of the library, hoping to run into Skye.

Skye had just left the room of requirement with Trip and was heading to the courtyard to sit in the last few rays of sunshine for the day.  She had been practicing a new spell on some dummy dolls...or at least she had been trying too.  Skye hadn’t been able to focus, asking Trip every few minutes what time it was.  Jemma should have been waking up around six thirty, and as soon as Trip had called out six pm, Skye had lost all concentration.

Skye wondered if Jemma would be mad when she woke up.  She had left a nice note for her in the hopes that it would calm down some of the Simmons wrath she had been very keen to rain down on her the past few weeks.  She missed her time with Jemma...when she wasn’t looking over spells and when they had been able to talk and act like a regular couple.  Skye sat under the tree, pulling out the spell book to look at and glancing at her watch every few seconds.  

Trip waved goodbye and headed to the Gryffindor common room, telling Skye he would see her at dinner.  She wanted to go to the library and wait for Jemma.  Better yet she had wanted to sneak back up after turning in all of Jemma's homework (which had been quite the task all on its own) and snuggling up with her on the couch.  Perhaps, if they got over the slump they were in, they would get to do it again soon.

Skye sighed and tried to focus on the book, though she knew that Jemma should be awake by now.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to face her yet, but she also didn’t want to hide.  If Jemma was mad, she was mad, but if not, well...good.  Skye was glad to have helped her out.

It didn’t take Jemma long to find her girlfriend, there were only so many places she enjoyed being. When she spotted her in the shade of a tree in the courtyard, a silly grin spread across her features and she practically skipped up behind her. Skye was studying, something Jemma never thought she’d see the girl do without a good push. Quietly, she approached from the other side of the tree and set her bag down a few feet before she actually got down on her knees.

“Hello, darling.” She whispered quietly, leaning in and taking her by surprise by kissing her cheek. She settled down in the grass next to her and smiled shyly, hoping she hadn’t somehow stepped over some kind of boundary. They hadn’t exactly been very friendly with each other recently.

Skye jumped at the whisper and sudden pressure on her cheek.  Jemma had startled her, and she slammed the book shut and shoved it into her bag.  It wouldn’t do for the Ravenclaw girl to see what sort of spells she had been studying.  Jemma wasn’t exactly a stranger to her past.

She did smile wide though once she got over the initial shock and turned to face Jemma.  Her grin faltered, not sure if she should be this excited or not, but the girl didn’t seem to be angry.

“Hey,” Skye smiled fully this time, deciding just to be happy.  If Jemma had been angry, she would have thrown a book at her instead of kiss her.  “You uhm...you aren’t upset?”

“Well, to be honest, a little bit,” Jemma almost laughed at the horrified look on Skye’s face. “But mostly, I just feel better. Thank you.” She finished. Jemma crawled a little closer and turned her body so that they were facing each other. She really wanted to just lean in and kiss her, but they’d been so off lately, she wasn’t sure.

“No problem,” Skye chuckled, leaning back against the tree, “Anytime really.  It’s not every day I get to plot a coup against you and your study habits.”  The girl laughed and tilted her head a little to the side, just staring at Jemma in the last rays of the sunlight.  It had been a long time since she had just done that, just looked at her.  It made Skye sigh, and a tiny smile appeared on her lips.

“I miss you, Jems.”

Jemma frowned at the sad tone of Skye’s voice. She’d kind of expected it, they wouldn’t just go from cold to warm and fuzzy without even acknowledging the fact that they’d been off track.

“I missed you too.” Jemma reached for Skye’s hand. She felt a little guilty now about the way she’d pulled away that night their relationship had basically been put in a freezer. She hadn’t held Skye’s hand in a long time, but it still felt familiar.

Skye squeezed her hand before she could think twice about it, having missed the feeling of it in her own.  It had been much too long, and Skye regretted her actions that had brought them to this point.  All because of a stupid dare.  She could be dead in a week.  She didn’t even know what to expect.  Skye wanted to focus on preparing for the task.  If she survived the task, then she could take a break and spend time fixing what she had messed up with Jemma.

Seeing Jemma here now though, not upset with her, and acting almost the way that they used to, Skye couldn’t help it.  She leaned up from the tree and took Jemma’s face in her hands and kissed her before the girl could decide if she wanted to pull away or not.  Skye tried not to be needy, but that was a hard thing for her to do, and she inevitably failed, grasping her face a little tighter before running one hand through Jemma’s hair, holding on tightly for fear that the girl would get up and leave again.

Usually Jemma was more of a receiver, but the sudden kiss after over a month of hardly speaking activated something she didn’t even know she had in her. She took the initiative and straddled Skye’s legs, pulling her closer by her tie with one hand and burying the other in her dark brown curls.

Skye wished they were in the attic.  She wished very badly that they were in the attic.  She knew the basics of apparition by now, but she also knew that would definitely not work.  This would have to do.  Yes, this would very much have to do.  This Jemma was a very rare creature, like a unicorn, and Skye only got a glimpse on occasion.  This time she had come with enchanted rope and a cage and everything.  This unicorn wasn’t going to get away.

Skye’s hands were on her thighs in an instant, grabbing roughly and pulling her closer still.  One stayed there, holding tightly while the other continued to ride up.  Skye’s hands were moving on their own.  Her brain was too preoccupied to focus as she kissed Jemma again and again.  The light had faded and any students that had been out were already making their way inside to go to dinner.  By this point, Skye was hungry, but it certainly wasn’t for dinner.

Bobbi was one of those students heading to the regular evening meal, and the first time, she didn’t even throw a glance at the two girls making out in the courtyard, but something about one of them made her stop in her tracks and back up. Her eyes widened and she could feel a blush slowly covering her cheeks because of what she was witnessing. She didn’t blush, what was going on?

Shy, flustered, cute little Jemma was over there, _on top of Skye_ , aggressively making out with her. It was like she was seeing a completely different person and she had to blink a few times to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. But sure enough, it was Jemma. It was Jemma’s hands all over the other girl’s body and Jemma’s lips all over the other girl’s neck. It made her blood boil and her hands clench into tight fists.

She just couldn’t fathom how Jemma had possibly run back to Skye when she was fully aware that the brunette had used her wand on her earlier that day. Someone else heading to dinner accidentally bumped into her shoulder and brought her back to her senses. She quickly glanced away, rushing to the Great Hall and away from the scene.

Completely unaware that anyone had been watching them, Jemma continued her slow, sensual attack on Skye's neck. Her lips gently brushed against the other girl's skin, occasionally pressing a kiss along the way to her target, the soft spot right behind Skye's ear. She knew it drove the other girl mad when she teased her with a soft nip. One of Jemma's hands slowly wandered downwards, settling on her waist and grasping firmly. Using the hand still entangled in Skye's hair, Jemma tilted her head to the side so more of her skin was exposed. With this new terrain came a plentiful number of opportunities to send shivers down Skye's spine. Jemma made sure each kiss contained a light graze of her teeth against Skye's throat and was accompanied by a slow grind of her hips into her abdomen.

Skye bit her lip.  Her grip on Jemma’s thighs grew tighter, her nails digging in just slightly.  Her hands wanted to wander but she was paralyzed by the smaller girl’s lips.  A moan escaped out and into the air as Jemma found her way to the pulse point on the side of her neck.  

         “Jemma…” Skye was practically breathless.  She was enjoying the beauty of this rare moment and all it had to offer.  She wanted to continue doing so, but as much as she enjoyed Jemma’s hands and mouth on her this way, she was still somehow acutely aware that they were still outside in public.  She wanted to take this to the attic.  Skye wanted to take a lot of things, namely Jemma.  Skye let out another breathless groan when she felt hot breath hit her ear just before Jemma kissed it again.  

         Before she realized it, two of her top buttons were undone and her tie was on the ground.  As much as she didn’t want this to stop, they at least needed to pause and relocate.  Something easier said than done.

         “Jems…?” Finally Skye found some semblance of willpower and removed one of her hands from Jemma’s hips and placed it on her shoulder, trying to push her back just a little to keep her from assaulting her neck anymore.  She received an exasperated, “what” before she saw the British girl finally calm down a little.  She hated to ask, but she needed to.

         “Dinner or attic?”

         “Attic, _now_.”


	8. The First Task

She was going to die today, she just knew it.  All the preparing she had done was not going to help her.  Skye was a nervous wreck and she couldn’t focus in any of her classes.  She kept receiving awkward stares all day and whenever she walked by people would stop talking.  It was getting under her skin.

Skye wanted to go back and start the week all over again.  Her and Jemma’s little romp in the attic during dinner had been a good ending to her Monday and now that it was Friday she almost regretted not spending more time trying to study.  She never thought she would regret not studying.

When she hadn’t had free periods with Jemma, she had them with Trip, and they were in the room of requirement learning the last of the spells she had picked out in the black restricted book he had brought her.  Some of them came easily to her and she wondered for the briefest of moments if it was because of her family’s blood.  She tried not to think about it.  When she had free time with Jemma, she was doing her best to focus on the spells, which did not always work out.  

For the last week Skye would sit there and study spells with Jemma until her brain needed a break.  And once Skye started her break, they didn’t tend to go back to studying after.  She and Jemma had wound up in the attic every day, either during one of their free periods together or in their break after dinner.  The only studying Skye was doing then was anatomy, and she had to say, she liked it alot.  They were like rabbits and Skye didn’t think either of them minded.  It kept her mind off of Friday and what would be happening.

Now, it was Friday, Halloween, and the first task of the Triwizard Tournament would be taking place after dinner.  She knew that she and the other two Champions had to speak with the Daily Prophet reporters before the task began.  The world, of course, needed to know how they all felt, and they still hadn’t been given any information about it.  Only that it was to take place in the dungeons under Hogwarts.

She was in her last class of the week, History of Magic, probably her last class ever.  Skye was sure that Jemma had noticed that she was off today.  She hadn’t even taken any notes, which sometimes was not unusual, but she hadn’t doodled any either.  She was just staring at the blank paper expressionless.  Skye didn’t even stir when the professor dismissed them for the day, too deep in her thoughts.

Jemma had absolutely noticed that Skye was acting nervous, but it wasn’t a surprise. Her girlfriend had been growing continually more anxious as the day of the task arrived, and Jemma had been trying to stay as calm as possible to help Skye out, no matter how much she wanted to grab a paper bag and hyperventilate.

“You’ll be fine,” She assured Skye as students packed up their things and left the classroom. She knew exactly what Skye was thinking about and she wished there was something more she could do. They’d been preparing for over a month, though, and Skye was ready. Though Skye didn’t think she was, Jemma had seen her improvement throughout the duration of their studies and was confident that Skye would be able to defend herself against whatever the task threw her way.

Skye was still frozen in her seat, and their professor was giving them sympathetic looks. Jemma knew that her girlfriend was very reluctant to leave the class and begin to head to the Great Hall for dinner, because afterwards, the champions would be rounded up to complete the first task.

Skye finally came back from her thoughts enough to shut her book before she stopped again.  Maybe, the slower she did this, the longer she could draw it out, and then she wouldn’t have to go.  She sighed then, realized that that was a silly idea and that time was going to go on whether she wanted it to or not.  She stuffed the book in her bag and turned to Jemma.

“Just kill me,” the brunette groaned and grabbed Jemma’s shoulders, holding them tightly, “at least this way I’ll know it was you and not whatever is waiting for me.  It’ll be better.”  Obviously she was exaggerating, but she still wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.

Jemma rolled her eyes at Skye’s dramatic gesture. She was trying to act as normally as possible, hoping that maybe it would rub off on her girlfriend a little bit. She grabbed one of Skye’s hands and let the other fall off her shoulder as she led her out of the classroom.

“Walk with me?” Jemma tugged Skye outside into the fading late afternoon light. There was a little time left before they had to go to dinner. She wasn’t feeling very hungry and she’d much rather spend the time with Skye, but she wanted her girlfriend to get a good meal in before she had to participate in whatever it was that was planned for her.

“We’ve been preparing you for ages. You’ll do great.” Jemma promised her, even though the statement was also meant to assure herself as well. They had been studying a lot, Skye had to be ready. She’d learned bookfulls of new spells to help her.

Skye’s slightly shaky hand in Jemma’s let her know just how anxious the girl already was, and she knew it was only going to get worse as they neared the time for her to go. She gave it a comforting squeeze as they walked towards the library. The attic was their safeplace, and Skye would probably be much more comfortable spending their last half hour or so together in the quiet space. She wasn’t going to make Skye study, there was nothing else she could learn at this point. If she didn’t know it now, she wouldn’t know it before the task. They could do something relaxing to help with Skye’s nerves. She could read to her, that always made her tired, so there was no reason not to think it wouldn’t help her now. Skye didn’t like books by themselves, but listening to Jemma read them was completely different.

“It’ll be ok.” Jemma said again, standing on her toes to press a kiss to Skye’s cheek as they approached the library.

____________

This was it.  She had eaten, barely, and the three Champions stood in a row next to the headmaster in the great hall.  Everyone, every student, every teacher, was there, listening and waiting for Headmaster Coulson to announce the beginning of the task.  They had all spoken to the reporters and Skye was fairly certain that she had mumbled everything.  They had taken a lot of pictures as she was also fairly certain that she was half blinded from them now too.

She was of course still shaking, although she tried to hide it by putting her hands behind her back.  Neither Bobbi or Ward seemed phased at all.  They hadn’t entered as a joke.  They were serious.  Dead serious.  All eyes were on them.  Skye thought she might crack under the pressure, but soon the headmaster was filling the hall with his announcement, bringing all the attention onto himself.

"Tonight, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament will take place.  In just a few short moments the Champions will draw for their order.  The task is to take place in the dungeons under the castle.  A choice few of you will be invited to watch the events with the other headmasters, myself, and the teachers.  The rest of you are advised to remain here and await the outcome if you so desire," Coulson said and turned to the champions.  

"Barbara, step forward and draw," the headmaster instructed and gestured to one of the heads of house who held out a small black bag.  Skye watched anxiously from her spot in line as Bobbi reached in and drew out a small sparkling blue sphere.  Inscribed on it was the number two, signaling that she would be the second champion to complete the task.

Ward was called up in the same fashion and drew out a small blue pearl of his own.  Etched into the beautiful jewel was the number one, which only left number three.  Skye reached in and pulled out her own pearl with shaking hands.  Last.  She had to go last.  She would have to wait for both Bobbi and Ward to go before her, which wouldn’t help her nerves at all.  The anticipation would probably kill her before she ever made it down into the dungeon.  Skye wasn’t even paying attention to the last of his speech until she realized that the headmaster had finished and the three of them were dismissed from the front.  They only had a few minutes left before Ward would be taken down to the dungeons and she and Bobbi left in a room to wait it out.  The headmaster was waiting by the doors to the main hall for those which had been selected to watch.

Skye’s eyes scanned the crowd for Jemma as she clutched the small blue jewel in her hand.  It was still shaking, and not apt to stop anytime soon.  She would rather be going first and getting it over with than having to wait.

When all the students not on the list filed out of the Great Hall, grumbling, Jemma rushed up to the front of the hall and threw herself at Skye, wrapping her arms around the brunette’s neck and holding on tight.

“I’ll be watching. You’ll be fine.” She whispered into her girlfriend’s ear. Skye was obviously dazed and didn’t seem to respond. Jemma pulled away and glanced down at the object in Skye’s hand in curiosity. Slowly, she gave Skye another hug, and made sure she heard the word. “ _Dementors_ ,” Jemma had read enough to know that what Skye was holding was what the dementors fed on.

Dementors...Skye frowned and held onto Jemma tightly.  She didn't’ want to let go, because if she did, that would mean they would have to leave.  Dementors were no joke, but Skye knew that this was an intense tournament.  They wouldn’t put all of their faith in the soul sucking creatures.  There had to be a catch.  There had to be something else.

“Hey uhm...don't,” Skye bit her lip, trying to figure out how to word it, “Don’t uhm, watch if things get bad, okay?”  Her patronus was a mongoose for heaven's sake, and she didn’t know how many dementors would be in there.  It was such a small thing she would probably have to conjure ten at a time to be effective.

Jemma bit back tears upon hearing Skye’s request. If something did happen, she didn’t know how she’d respond. No, nothing would happen. Skye would be fine, especially now that she knew what was to come. Jemma nodded, sure that Skye could feel the movement against her shoulder, and finally pulled away.

“I love you, Skye. I’ll see you on the other side.” Jemma smiled, but quickly realized the double entendre behind her words. “Not the other side as in dead, I mean the other side as in when you finish-” Jemma blushed and hoped she didn’t just scare the hell out of her girlfriend.

Skye’s eyes were wide at Jemma’s words, but then she actually smiled, chuckling a little at her girlfriend’s accidental joke.  “Thank you for clarifying.  I would have hated to wake up in some ghostly realm and you weren’t there.”  That was her Jemma, the cute nervous blushing one that was her favorite.  “I’ll do my best to get back to you,” Skye smiled, halfheartedly since she was still anxious herself, but she leaned down and gave Jemma a light kiss on the lips.  This could be there last one ever, but Skye hoped not.

“I’m counting on it.” Jemma smiled. Half of her was terrified that Skye was going to get killed and that she’d never see her again, but the other half of her just knew that this wasn’t how it was going to end. “I have to warn Bobbi now,” Jemma explained quietly, looking around her to make sure none of the professors knew she was telling them anything. “I’ll see you later.” She gently squeezed Skye’s hands once more for assurance and hurried over to Bobbi, using the same technique she had with Skye. She had to jump a little bit to get high enough for the taller girl to hear her whispered warning. Bobbi thanked her profusely for the warning and hugged her tightly for a few moments before the headmaster ushered the three champions away.

Skye was already so anxious about the task, but hearing that Jemma was going to go and warn Bobbi too, not only her competitor, but also the woman who was currently trying to steal her away, that she was even more so now.  She shoved her shaking hands into her pockets and watched with clenched jaw as Jemma hugged the blonde girl and gave her the same warning she had gotten.  If she died during this stupid task, Bobbi would go right after Jemma full force, if that wasn’t what she was doing already.  It made her worry, and what little she had of her focus slipped away as she and the other two Champions were escorted from the hall and transported to the dungeons.

Skye and Bobbi were shoved into a side room to wait, and Skye took a seat as far from her as possible and fiddled with her hands and the small pearl in them.  Ward was sent down the stairs and through the dungeons door into a thick, black enchanted fog.  Should he emerge, he would do so on the other side of the castle where the Headmasters, teachers, the chosen few would be waiting to congratulate him.

It had already been ten minutes and Skye continued to sit in the empty classroom, silent as the grave, brooding and thinking over some sort of strategy.  She had to think of a happy memory, one that would be strong enough for her patronus to take out a dementor, several if need be, but she couldn’t focus, no matter how hard she tried.  Skye needed to be ready before she stepped down into the dungeons to face whatever else it was that awaited her.  

“Look,” Bobbi started. Anything was better than the deathly silence in the room. “I know we don’t really get along-”

“Wow, no way, great perception there doctor Watson,” Skye grumbled and turned away.  She didn’t feel like listening to any of the girl's taunts, or worse, if she decided to talk about Jemma.

“I don’t have anything to say to you, so just leave me alone.”

“What I’m trying to say is…” Bobbi sighed. She knew the frustrated look on Skye’s face and she knew that the other girl wasn’t going to be listening to anything she said. “Don’t die out there.” She offered a half-hearted smile. Sure, she didn’t particularly like Skye, but the reasons they were fighting weren’t enough to make her wish death upon her. No one deserved to go like that, anyway. Neither of them knew what was out there.

The door to their annoyingly cell-like waiting room opened and Headmaster Coulson entered. He was definitely wearing a poker face, not allowing himself to give away anything about what had happened to Ward or if he had gotten through.

“It’s your turn, Miss Morse.”

Skye sighed and slowly turned back to look at the blonde as she got up to leave with the headmaster.  She could have said anything, but had actually wished her well...sort of.  They obviously weren’t going to be friends, but they could be decent competitors.

“Hey, you either,” Skye shot back before Bobbi was escorted out of the room, leaving her all by herself to wait.  Waiting was by far the worse part.  

Skye had lost track of how long it had been since the girl left.  She had been deep in her thoughts, listening to the silence in the room and her heavy breathing.  Her shakes had mostly gone away, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t still nervous.  Either way, it felt like an eternity before the sound of the door jolted her back to reality.  A knot immediately formed in her gut as she slowly stood.

“It’s time,” Coulson said, same stoic face from before.  He held the door open for her and Skye slowly made her way back into the hall.  They were the only two there and she sighed heavily, turning to look down the flight of stairs to the doors to the dungeon.

“Good luck, Miss Johnson.”  The headmaster motioned for her to continue.  Skye wasn’t sure she wanted too.  Her legs felt frozen in place, but somehow she found the courage to move them.

Once she had made her way down the stairs, she turned to look back for the headmaster, but he had already vanished.  She faced the door again, trying to prepare herself.  Skye inhaled deeply, reaching out to grab the door handle with one hand, and pulling her wand out with the other.  

“Here we go…”   _Don’t die you idiot…_

Skye pulled open the door and was met with a thick black smog.  She grimaced, brow furrowing as she stared into the dungeon.  She couldn’t see a thing, how had Bobbi and Ward made it through?  She exhaled slowly and stepped inside, letting the door shut behind her.  For the briefest of moments, she was plunged into total darkness.  It sent a chill through her bones and she shivered.

“ _Lumos Maxima_ ,” Skye held her wand up and soon a bright light shown from the tip, illuminating a small space around her.  She could see the floor, and slightly ahead of her.  She supposed she had no choice but to continue forward.

___________

Bobbi had made it through, so there was no reason to think that Skye wouldn’t. At least, this was the logic Jemma had been using in her hopefulness. As far as she knew, both Bobbi and Skye both had the same spells in their heads, courtesy of Jemma herself.

Complete and utter relief had flooded through Jemma’s veins after Ward had finished the task. It wasn’t nearly as daunting as she had imagined it to be. She’d been confused about why some random little boy had shown up during Ward’s task, simply repeating over and over again that it was his fault their little brother died. The gears in her mind had been turning quickly, however, and she figured out that there were boggarts in the stone maze waiting for the champions. Because of the dark mist, the boggarts could sense a person nearby and shapeshift into something that would be in their worst nightmares before the champion even realized there was a threat.

She knew Skye could handle this, though, she keenly remembered teaching Skye how to fend off the boggarts. Bobbi made it through fairly easily, it seemed that her worst fear was something as simple as large snakes, which she quickly turned into gummy worms. It was only the end of the task that worried her.

When Skye emerged from the black mist, wand in hand, Jemma’s heart leaped out of her chest with excitement. Through the enchanted mirrors that gave onlookers a view of the entire maze, she could see the terrified expression on Skye’s face and she wished she could tell her to calm down. She looked to where she knew was the location of the first boggart, and she was surprised to see herself in the mirror.

________

Skye took her first few hesitant steps forward in the dark, only her wand to light the way.  She swallowed hard and exhaled, stepping forward more sure now till she came to a wall.  The Hogwarts Champion emitted a groan and stretched her wand further to try and see to either side.  It looked like both were open, so she chose left.  

Her steps were not quite as sure as she wanted them to be, but nothing had popped out yet so Skye’s fears were starting to wain.  That was until she heard some feet shuffle that weren’t her own.

She froze in place, trying to see through the thick smog, but she couldn’t.  She turned around, waving her wand behind her to see if something was trying to sneak up on her from behind.  Skye waited a moment with bated breath, but nothing came.  On the other side of the mirror they would hear an audible sigh, and Skye turned back around.

“It’s nothing...it’s nothing…” She whispered to herself and when she held her wand forward again and took a step she almost fell over someone.  Skye shrieked and leapt back, holding her wand out in a defensive position before she recognized a familiar face.

“Jemma?  What...uh, what are you doing in here?  It’s dangerous remember, there are dementors in here,” The brunette questioned, stepping closer towards her girlfriend, “Here, go back that way and take a left. The exit is just around the corner-”

“I’m done, Skye.” Jemma growled. Her eyes were unblinking and emotionless. “I’m tired of all your lies and bullshit and I’m tired of trying to help you fix your stupid mistakes,” She continued, slowly advancing on the slightly confused champion. “I don’t love you. We’re finished.” She said all of this without a single hand gesture or emotion on her face.

Skye was taken aback for a second, face full of confusion before Jemma moved closer and more into the wand light.

“What?  Jems, I…” Skye stopped, taking a closer look.  The words hurt.  It was Jemma’s voice and Jemma’s appearance, but this definitely wasn’t Jemma.  For one Jemma always spoke with her hands.  That’s what Skye found adorable about her, and secondly, if she was this mad, she would certainly be throwing something at her.  But what was it?

Skye rattled her brain, listening to the awful words bombarding her ears before she grinned to herself, recalling a page for class she had actually read.  Jemma had talked to her about the possibility of boggarts.  They had literally gone over every possibility in the book.  Jemma was such a book worm.  
“Got it, _riddikulus_!” Skye waved her wand quickly at the fake Jemma and chuckled to herself as a large pile of books appeared and suddenly some rather cute reading glasses popped onto the fake Jemma’s face.  
“There, much better. You’re cute when you’re reading,” Skye chuckled to herself and left the now very preoccupied boggart with a little heavy reading.

___________

It was odd seeing herself inside the maze, it was sort of like seeing herself when she was using the time turner, except she hadn’t already lived through it and she didn’t know what the other version of her was about to do. She was a little offended that she was one of Skye’s worst fears until she heard the words in her own voice, telling Skye things that she’d never, ever say or even dare think. Her heart broke a little bit when her girlfriend’s face twisted into confusion and hurt. If only there was a way for her to send a message inside telling Skye that this wasn’t her.

This fake version of her wasn’t even anywhere near realistic, it was almost laughable. Skye smiled and cast the spell she’d actually managed to learn, and Jemma couldn’t help but be proud of her. She loved the funny image Skye had in her head as well, with the stack of books and the glasses. Did she actually look like that all the time?

__________

Skye maneuvered her way through the fog faster now, more confident than she had been at the start.  Boggarts.  She could handle some boggarts for sure.  It was just this maze now that was going to get annoying.  After a few minutes of hitting dead ends, she retraced her steps.  The suspicious lack of activity meant she was going the wrong way.  She was supposed to run into and defeat her worst fears.  How could it get worse than it already had?  Skye didn’t see how it could.  Until she came up on blondie in the dark.

Skye stared at Bobbi, no, fake Bobbi for a moment before she sighed, “Of course.  Literally of course you would be here…” She groaned.  She was almost mad at herself.  She held up her wand, ready to say the spell as soon as she thought of something amusing for her to do.

“Go on, might as well tell me why you’re here.  Wow, what a terrible nightmare,” Skye said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.  If this was the best the tournament had to offer, she didn’t know why she had been worried in the first place.

If Skye had thought it was just going to be Bobbi down here, she was wrong. Jemma slipped out of the shadows as well. This Jemma seemed a little more realistic. Instead of the dead, emotionless eyes the previous boggart had held, the eyes belonging to this Jemma were full of the lust that had been in them when she and Skye were fooling around in the attic, but she was looking at Bobbi.

Bobbi, fake Bobbi, Skye had to remind herself, grinned maniacally at Skye before taking another step closer to Jemma. In one swift movement, the blonde grabbed Jemma’s hips, pulled their bodies against each other, and planted a hungry kiss on her lips. As if it wasn’t enough for Bobbi to kiss Jemma, the short girl reached up with one hand and delicately placed it on Bobbi’s neck and slipped the other just under the hem of the taller girl’s shirt.

_Fuck_ , Skye had spoken a little too soon.  She wanted to separate them.  She wanted to blow Bobbi’s stupid shit eating grin right off her face, but her focus was hard to find.  It was rather difficult to think of a funny situation while all of her insides were on fire, boiling over the edge and ready to explode.  Of course it wouldn’t just be Bobbi.  Skye had to shut her eyes.  She wanted to put her hands over her ears too.  The sounds she was starting to hear weren't’ at all pleasant...at least not to her.  

She opened her eyes.  Skye regretted it, almost immediately and she shut them again very quickly.  She did not want to see what her nightmare fake Bobbi wanted to do to her girlfriend.  Limbs all tangled together.  She wanted to vomit.  Quickly a muggle childrens game her mother had showed her growing up came into mind and without looking, Skye shouted the spell, pointing the wand at them.

When at last she opened her eyes, Bobbi and Jemma were fully clothed again, all awkward as Jemma tried to reach her left arm over Bobbi’s leg to place it on a green dot, on an even larger pad of multicolored dots..  Bobbi’s leg was on blue while her right and left arms were crisscrossed on yellow and red.  She was almost bent over backwards, and Jemma wasn't faring so well either.

“Oh thank god for Twister…” Skye let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding before she quickly left the second boggart.  She didn’t have anymore time to waste of them.  That was about as bad as it got in her book.  Little did she know she was very, very wrong.

____________

When Jemma saw an image of Bobbi, she was confused yet again. What was Skye afraid of Bobbi for? Sure, they’d fought in the Great Hall that one time, but Bobbi seemed to have come out with more bruises and scrapes than Skye had.

It all made sense when she saw herself yet again. Acid churned in her stomach when she saw the image of herself with Bobbi. She liked the blonde, but not like that. They were just friends. She knew Skye had been jealous that she’d been spending time with the other girl, but she hadn’t known the feeling was so intense that a boggart used it as one of her worst fears.

Jemma was suddenly very hyper aware of all the students who had suddenly turned to look at her, and her face turned beet red as blood rushed to her face. Damnit, Skye.

_____________

“Two lefts, a right, straight, then a--damnit!” Skye hit another dead end and she crossed her arms, the light bouncing off the fog and the stone walls.  Which way had she missed?  She slowly retraced her steps.  To the right, through the four way and stopped.  She tried the right path...or, had she tried the left?

Skye’s hand flew to her head and she balled her fist into her hair, tugging at it lightly, “Think you idiot.  Jemma didn’t spend a week teaching you how to memorize things properly for you to forget which way you came from!”  She closed her eyes again, thinking through the maze in her head before she nodded to herself.

Skye made her way to the left, careful not to bump into anything in the dark like she had the last two times.  She rounded the corner and suddenly she came out of the fog.  Everything was still dark, but the room was no longer smokey, and it was well lit thanks to her wand.  She sighed heavily, relieved when she saw a door at the other end of the room.

“Finally, it’s about time,” She grinned to herself.  Now all she had to face were the dementors.  As she strolled towards the door, now confident again, she wasn’t prepared for the sound that hit her ears.

“Daisy?”

Skye’s blood ran cold and goosebumps shot up over her arms.  She was almost at the door, but she couldn’t move.  That voice…

“Daisy is that you?”

She didn’t want to turn around.  She almost couldn’t turn around.  If she turned around, that would make it real.  She hadn’t even realized how afraid she was until she saw the light shaking against the walls.  Her arms wouldn’t stop and her anxiety came flooding back.

“Daisy Johnson, it’s rude to leave your guest waiting.  I taught you better than that.”

Skye swallowed hard and turned around, watching as a tall middle aged man stepped into the light from the smog.   _Shit...shit, shit shit._

“Why don’t you come give your father a hug?”

________________

The first two boggarts were nothing compared to the third, Jemma knew this. If there was one thing in the entire world that scared Skye absolutely shitless, it was her father. The Deatheater. He was cruel, evil, and downright terrifying. Skye had only told Jemma about her father a few times, she could hardly even bring herself to talk about it with her. She was ashamed of having his blood, and not only was she afraid of him, but she was afraid of being like him.

Apparently Headmaster Coulson knew who this was as well, because he drew his wand and cut off the view of the maze. As the enchanted mirrors went dark, panic began to rise in Jemma’s throat. She knew that the man in that maze with Skye wasn’t real, but something still felt horribly wrong.

“Everybody who wishes to know the results of the tournament, please wait in the Great Hall for it to finish. The viewing of the task is no longer permitted within the student body.” Coulson and the other professors in the room herded the disappointed students away. Jemma followed them, mostly because she was completely frozen in fear and she didn’t have control of her own legs. Was Skye going to be able to overcome the fear that had been haunting her for her entire childhood?

_____________

It had all turned sour quickly.  Too quickly.  This boggart meant serious business and Skye didn’t think she could handle it.  In fact, she knew she couldn’t handle it.  Everything had already gone to shit in a handbasket wrapped up in a nice lace bow. And that was before Jemma had shown up.  Now?  Skye was absolutely certain she had left the dungeon and entered hell.  Her own personal hell just for her.

Her wand was pointed at him, but her hands were so shaky Skye knew she wouldn't be able to do anything, and if she did, she would miss.  Her whole body was trembling and she was fairly certain she was crying though she was too numb to feel it on her cheeks.

“Don’t you dare touch her.  Don’t you dare lay a finger on her, so help me-”

“Or what, Daisy?  We both know that you don’t have what it takes to do what needs to be done.  It’s families like hers that hinder the progress our benefactors have made, your dear father included.  Pure blood or not, those that are against us must be punished.  If they do not conform, they must be eliminated.”  
“I’m _nothing_ like you!” Skye shouted, her shaking hand raising her wand higher in an attempt to feign confidence.

It was difficult, almost impossible, for Skye to tell that this wasn’t the real Jemma. It was as if each boggart had gained a little more information about her, absorbed a little more of her personality and the way Skye saw her.

Jemma’s entire body was trembling, her bottom lip quivered, and she stared at Skye with a pleading look in her eyes as Skye’s father pointed his wand at her. She clenched her jaw and gave a small nod, as if she was telling Skye that it would be ok and that she needed to remain strong.

“Yes, Daisy, I know.  That’s why I have to do this.  Then you’ll see things my way,” Cal said with a smile, turning his wrist just so before he uttered the word.  It was almost under his breath, and Skye would have missed it completely if not for the fact that Jemma had shot down to the floor, writhing in pain and screaming Skye’s name as if doing so could somehow help her. The agony Jemma was suffering through was completely unimaginable, though there was no sign of physical injury. The torture was meant to affect her mind, slowly driving her insane by making her think she was in constant pain until she no longer knew her own name. She felt like hot knives were piercing every bit of her skin, though she could not see any weapon being used against her besides the dark wizard’s wand. Jemma made contact with Skye, pleading for help. She couldn’t control the shrieks in her own throat and this eye contact was the only means of communication. It served as a bridge for Skye into her mind, so that she could see exactly how Jemma felt.

_I can’t...I can’t do this.  It’s not real.  It’s not real… “It’s not fucking real_ ,” Skye hadn’t let her wand down, but she couldn’t look at her father.  Not with Jemma screaming like that and calling her name.  She could barely see anyway, tears were flooding her eyes.  She didn’t have any focus left.  

Her own shaking had stopped.  She couldn’t be this afraid when Jemma was the one in real trouble, with real fear and real pain in her eyes.  Skye’s grip on her wand tightened, and her face twisted into a terrible expression of anger.  She was angry at herself for letting this happen, angry at her father for doing it.  She was going through the motion before she could stop herself.

“ _Sectumsempra_!!” Her motions were precise and the curse hit the boggart full force, taking it by surprise.  The image of her father mutated into a bloody mess, but still standing there, smiling, laughing, as if it hadn’t affected him at all.

Skye lowered her wand, horrified with herself and that the spell did not have the desired outcome.  She had forgotten that this wasn’t real.

“See Daisy?  Was that so hard?  You are exactly like me.”

The brunette couldn’t bear it.  She nearly dropped her wand as she turned on heel and fled to the door, swinging it wide and slamming it shut behind her.  It didn’t drown out the sound of Jemma’s screams, which only made it harder to turn around to face what was next.

The hair on her arms stood on end, goosebumps popping up all over.  Skye shivered, she could see her breath in the cold room, and the walls and floors covered in ice.

“Dementors…”  She grit her teeth together.  How was she supposed to focus on a happy memory with Jemma under the Cruciatus Curse in the next room?

_____________

Something was wrong. Something had definitely gone absolutely, horribly wrong. Jemma paced nervously in the Great Hall, her hand covering her mouth as tears slipped out the corner of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Ward and Bobbi hadn’t taken more than half an hour to complete the task, and it was nearing an hour on Skye’s clock. That worried her on its own, excluding the fact that Headmaster Coulson had completely cut them off from what was going on.

“I thought you said it was an easy task, lil’mama?” Trip whispered to Jemma over the other hushed tones going around the room.  “What takes so long with a boggart and some dementors?  My girl has those spells down.  We’ve been practicing,” His hands were clasped together, resting against his forehead as he sat at the table with Jemma and Fitz.  He had, of course, asked for details when he saw the group come out from the end of the dungeons.  He had thought it was over, until Jemma showed up without Skye.

“It was... At least it was supposed to be…” Jemma muttered. “Then one of those damn boggarts turned into her father-” She stopped herself. Trip was Skye’s best friend, but she didn’t know if he knew about Skye’s heritage, how she was the daughter of a very infamous death eater.

Trip put his hands down on the table, a little louder than he meant too and the sound resounded over all the other murmuring.  He looked as shocked as Jemma had when she first saw the boggart as Skye’s father through the mirror.

“Shit, no kidding?  You sure someone shouldn’t be going in there to get her then?” Trip asked, concern evident on his face.  He was perhaps one of the only other people who knew the truth about Skye’s family other than Jemma.  The two of them were tight after all.

“So you know,” Jemma sighed, relief evident in her voice. She was glad there was someone else who could truly understand how much this would upset Skye. “I want someone to go help her, but I don’t think it will happen. It’s against the rules. The task was designed to be terrifying, and I don’t think they’ll make an exception for her.” She knew she was right, Skye wouldn’t be receiving any help. That’s why she was so worried that her girlfriend hadn’t returned yet.

Jemma just couldn’t sit still, she got up from the bench and continued pacing back and forth. If Skye didn’t come back, she didn’t know what she’d do.

“I’m sure she’ll be ok.” Fitz added, though it didn’t seem that reassurances from anyone but Skye herself would be calming Jemma down any time soon.

Shortly thereafter, the doors to the Great Hall opened as Headmaster Coulson walked in, followed by the two headmasters of the other two schools.  The teachers which had been allowed to continue to watch the task filed in behind them.  The Hogwarts Champion was stuck behind the three headmasters, and she didn’t rush past them when all had entered the room.  It was almost like she was hiding.  Any glances of her that the group of friends could get were of the girl, looking down at her feet.  She still seemed unsteady and very rattled.  They had probably had to escort her in.

“The first task of the Triwizard Tournament has come to an end,” Coulson finally spoke up once the hall went silent, “The rankings are as follows.”  He motioned for the head of Beauxbaton to continue.  

The woman pulled out a long scroll from her robe and opened it up, “Currently in first place is Barbara Morse from Beauxbaton with a time of twenty-three minutes and seventeen seconds and a score of one hundred and twenty-five.  In second place is Grant Ward from Durmstrang with a time of thirty minutes and forty-seven seconds and a score of one hundred and fifteen points.  In third place is Daisy ‘Skye’ Johnson from Hogwarts with a time of one hour, seven minutes and thirty-two seconds and a score of one hundred points.”  She rolled the scroll back up as students cheered for their respective champions, except there seemed to be a distinct lack of cheering from the Hogwarts students.  A few had even dared to ‘boo’ at the mention of her name.

This time the Durmstrang headmaster spoke up after the crowd had quieted again, “The second task will take place on February thirteenth of next term.”  There was some more cheering around the room before Coulson shushed them all again.

“It is advised that all of you now return to your common rooms,” Coulson smiled then, “The gossip will save for another day.”  The teachers all filed from the hall and left, soon followed by the other two headmasters.  Coulson turned around, still blocking their view of Skye.

He laid a hand on the girl's shoulder and leaned over, whispering something into her ear.  It took a moment, but she nodded and then Coulson dismissed himself.  As he left and Skye came into view, she was still looking down at her feet.  The brunette was still shaking and a small black box was gripped tightly in her left hand.  When finally she managed to look up, she had dark circles under her eyes and they were sunken in.  She looked sick and pale.  Her breathing was shallow and she looked still too afraid to move.  Finally, when Skye seemed to return to herself, she scanned the room for a familiar face.

Her eyes landed on Jemma and they went wide.  A smile almost formed on her lips before her her fists clenched together, her left tightening around the black box.  Her jaw did the same.  Her eyes quickly darted back down to her feet.  All she could hear were Jemma’s screams in the back of her mind.  Skye didn’t think they would likely go away for a while, if ever.  They were as clear as they had been when she had been in the dungeon.

Trying to conjure a patronus while listening to Jemma shriek and cry out for her help, only to never show up.  The white light from her wand had been frail, and faded out several times.  She had been too afraid to even move, draining kiss after kiss, the dementors had almost taken her.  She could hardly remember the memory she had used now.  Her mongoose had chased them all away and she had staggered of the room, breathless and freezing clutching the box.  She was almost certain she had heard the killing curse before opening the doors.

Jemma’s pacing stopped immediately upon finally seeing her girlfriend, and her eyes widened with concern. Skye looked absolutely awful, so much worse than she had when she’d been escorted away from the viewing area. She was worried about her, but also extremely relieved to see her alive at all.

“Skye!” She called out. The other girl dropped her eyes to the ground and something inside Jemma snapped. What had really happened after that boggart turned into her father?

“Thank goodness you’re alive.” Jemma rushed up to Skye and cupped her face gently. She had to refrain from gasping because the brunette’s skin was so cold. To say that it looked like Skye had seen a ghost would be the understatement of the year.

Skye tried to smile, but her brow furrowed instead, looking away from Jemma even as she cupped her face.  The warmth from her hands was comforting though, so she did not move away.  She just didn’t know what to say to her.  Jemma had said she would be watching, so she must have seen everything.  She must have seen her run away, leave her to be tortured in the other room.  Skye started to shake under Jemma’s touch before she finally managed a, “hey…”

There would be time to ask questions later, but right now, Jemma knew Skye just needed someone to hold her. She would be whatever Skye needed her to be, so she gently wrapped her arms around Skye’s waist and rested her chin on Skye’s shoulder.

“You did it…” Jemma assured her. But at what cost? She wasn’t entirely positive that the Skye that had just stumbled out of the dungeon was the same Skye she’d always known.

Skye was hesitant, but only for a moment, afraid she might break Jemma or this image of her before her would shatter and twist and turn into something else.  She still wasn’t positive she was back in the real world, but Jemma would feel the heavy sigh of relief as Skye finally tightened her arms around the girl, clutching both her and the black box tightly.   _You did it...yeah, I did a lot of things...including leaving you to die_  
“Yeah…”

Skye’s voice sounded hollow. Her touches were uncertain, and the way she held herself suggested that she’d been severely shaken up. Jemma wished she could make it all go away.

“We can go to the attic tonight, you don’t have to go back to your dormitory. You can stay with me.” She whispered, holding on even more tightly. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to let Skye go again, especially to face the next challenge in a few months. She was going to have to go through this two more times still.

Jemma would feel Skye’s chest heave as she started to breath more heavily, nodding quickly to the girl's suggestion.  It was clear that she had no desire to be alone after the events that had occurred in the dungeon and needed a lot of reassurance that it was actually over.  Skye’s throat was dry still but after a moment she finally managed to choke out more than one word.

“I would like that,” She nodded again, almost as if having to reassure herself too.  She clutched just a little tighter to Jemma before she pried herself off, somewhat stiff, and held her arms.  The brunette stole a glance at Jemma’s face before the same anxiety as before swept over her and she turned away quickly.  She looked anywhere but at Jemma.  Her eyes landed on those who were leaving the hall, all staring at her and whispering about her.  She shied away from them.  She had almost forgotten that Jemma wasn’t the only one she had let down besides herself.  She had let all of Hogwarts down by taking so long in the task...if she had just done more, then perhaps she could have gotten out with a decent time like the other champions, instead of being stuck, alone and afraid and unable to do anything but run away.

“Come on,” Jemma smiled and grasped Skye’s hands. As she led her away, she nodded to Trip and Fitz to let them know that she’d take care of the traumatized girl.

“If we’re lucky, the mice haven’t found our stash of candy. The chocolate will help with the effects of the dementors.” She assured her, trying to distract her with pleasant thoughts. She felt Skye squeeze her hands back a little bit and she silently walked her the rest of the way to the library.

As soon as they reached the attic, she let Skye collapse on the couch, exhausted, while she retrieved the bag from underneath that was thankfully untouched and still full of sweets. It took some rummaging, but Jemma found a plain bar of chocolate and fished it out before sitting next to Skye and handing it to her. She could see in Skye’s eyes that she was slowly calming down, and she affectionately placed her hand on the taller girl’s thigh.

Skye was relieved to be in the safety of the attic and away from all the prying eyes and gossip about how poorly she had done in the task.  She wanted to sink into the couch and sleep for a week.  Maybe by then everyone would be done talking about it and the events with her father would stop replaying over and over in her head.  Skye took the chocolate gently from Jemma and took a small bite.  She sighed after a moment, and finally bit off a larger piece and seemed to relax some.

“So...you aren’t...you aren’t upset with me?” the brunette asked tentatively, slowly shifting to look over at Jemma.  Her eyes still wanted to drift back to the floor, but she forced herself to look.  This wasn’t a boggart.  Nothing scary was going to jump out at her.  Her father hadn’t really hurt her.  Jemma was fine.  Nothing was wrong.  Skye just needed some convincing.

“Of course not!” Jemma exclaimed, probably a bit too loudly, because Skye flinched. “How could I possibly be upset with you?” For once, Jemma couldn’t understand the way Skye was acting. After all she’d gone through, Skye somehow wondered if she was upset?

Jemma leaned against her, once again protectively wrapping her arms around her. She could feel Skye slowly leaning into her and shifting her position on the couch so she was more comfortable. Her skin still felt cold to the touch, so Jemma rubbed a hand over Skye’s arm in a weak attempt to help her warm up.

“I’m so proud of you.” She whispered into Skye’s ear. Her girlfriend had managed to conquer her greatest fears with enough courage left over to fend off dementors.

Skye didn’t understand how she could be proud after watching her face off, or lack there of, against the last boggart.  She decided not to question it for once.  Sometimes, Jemma just knew best.  The tired champion took another bite of the chocolate before she set it down and curled up into Jemma’s touch.  She felt a little warmer than she had when she had emerged from the dungeon.  It would take time to heat up completely.  She had had so much happiness and warmth sucked out of her before she had managed to conjure her patronus.  Skye grinned halfheartedly then.

“I used the day the bludger knocked me off my broom during the match against Gryffindor…” she said quietly and her hands wrapped around Jemma’s waist.  “I woke up in the infirmary and you were right there, just waiting.  You were so mad,” Skye even managed a chuckle.  “You’re really cute when you get flustered like that...I still can’t believe I asked you out from a recovery bed…” A blush appeared on Skye’s still very pale cheeks before she tucked her face into Jemma’s neck to hide it.

“You’re so odd,” Jemma laughed, brushing a few strands of hair out of Skye’s face. “Picking a day you were severely injured to conjure a patronus.” She rolled her eyes and pretended to mock her, but she remembered the day with a smile as well. As much as she wanted to stay awake all night and just talk to Skye, she knew it would have to wait. The other girl was slowly dozing off in her arms, completely exhausted.

Slowly, gently, Jemma pulled her legs up onto the couch and fell onto her side, dragging Skye down with her. She found herself letting out a long sigh as she pressed her body against Skye’s back and hung her arm over the girl’s waist. It was a little awkward since Skye was taller, but Jemma knew that she enjoyed being the little spoon when she was upset.

“Go to sleep.” Jemma coaxed her, pressing soft kisses to the side of her neck and tracing patterns across her bare forearm. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Skye let herself be shifted and moved and once Jemma was behind her she snuggled back, making sure to press as much of herself against her girlfriend as possible.  The comfort of it would hopefully keep any nightmares at bay.  Now that she was actually laying down, her eyes suddenly felt heavy.  Skye was exhausted and it didn’t take her long till Jemma’s reassuring presence had coaxed her to sleep.


	9. Aftermath

It had been a week since the task, and though Skye seemed to be recovering well from what had happened in the dungeons, Jemma would be able to tell that she wasn’t quite all back yet.  The night after she had slept in the attic with Jemma, Skye tried to sleep in her own bed only to be kicked out in the middle of the night by her roommates who couldn’t sleep while she was screaming and mumbling to herself in her own.  She had been sleeping alone in the attic for the past week, but it was obvious that a week of restless sleep was taking its toll.

Skye didn’t look quite as bad as she had the night she emerged from the task, but she also didn’t look great either.  Of course Jemma had enough to worry about with trying to help her open the black box to discover a clue about the next task and to try and teach her more spells.  Skye couldn’t burden her with the fact that she was having nightmares every night of Jemma under the cruciatus curse or the fact that her father was once again haunting her dreams.  She needed to stay strong, and prepare herself for the next task so that she did better and wouldn’t let the entire school down again.  Jemma had said she was proud of her, and Skye appreciated that.  Jemma didn’t want her to win, Jemma just wanted her to survive...but everyone else wanted both.

It was breakfast time on Tuesday before Skye had to go to Herbology.  At least her apparitions class was after that and a lot more fun.  They were spending it in the Great Hall looking through a stack of books Jemma had brought from the library while snacking on the various assortments of breakfast items.  Trip had brought a stack of his own for Skye to look over.

“Guys, seriously, youre going to overload my brain before I even get to start my day,” Skye sighed as she shut her third book and pushed it back towards Jemma.  The small black box was in the center of the table and none of them had any idea how to open it.  They had been in the library every free period for the past week reading every book.  Jemma and Fitz had even analyzed it themselves, tried to charm it.  So far nothing had opened it.  Skye wasn’t too worried, they still had plenty of time to figure it out.  It was only November.  They had three months to figure it out.

Jemma let out a sigh of her own and took the book away from Skye. They’d been reading relentlessly to open the box, but they were all stumped. Skye deserved a break, at least a couple days. She definitely looked like she needed it. Jemma didn’t say anything because she knew Skye wouldn’t talk about it yet, but she knew that her girlfriend was having trouble sleeping. It was sort of like she and Skye had suddenly switched appearances, this time it was the taller brunette that needed a good night’s rest.

“Hey, look.” Jemma nudged Skye’s side and pointed towards the ceiling. Strigi, Jemma’s red barn owl, was helping Archi, Skye’s tiny pygmy owl. The two birds were never apart, they were just as attached to each other as Skye and Jemma were.

With one taloned foot, Strigi was holding onto a red envelope that Archi was supposed to be delivering. It was hard for Skye’s owl to actually deliver anything because of his size, so Strigi often helped out. It didn’t discourage Archi any, he still flapped his tiny little wings and carried the envelope, all puffy and proud that he was delivering Skye’s mail.

Jemma had never gotten one before, but she recognized the distinct red envelope that marked the letter as a howler. Skye had gotten one before soon after she released a snitch in History of Magic last year.

“This can’t be good.” Jemma sighed as the two birds landed on the table in front of them instead of dropping the letter like other owls did. Strigi finally let go of the envelope and Archi stumbled a few inches across the table before giving up and releasing Skye’s mail.

Skye wanted to laugh at the tiny pygmy owl that she had picked out when she was eight, and she would have, but for the letter that he was desperately trying to get to her.  She grimaced.  The owl looked so proud of himself that she quickly had to smile instead, despite she knew what was probably going to come out of that howler.

“What a good boy, Archimedes.  Yes you are.  Such a strong owl, delivering all my mail,” Skye smiled and reached out and scratched the bird lightly on the top of his head.  His normally wide eyes shut tight as he let out happy little sounds before she took the letter from him.  The bird quickly scurried back to the larger barn owl and protectively nestled itself under one of its much larger wings.

“I don’t...I really don’t want to open this,” Skye turned the letter over in her hands.

“Shit girl, you best go ahead and get that over with,” Trip shook his head and nodded towards the letter.  When Skye looked at him her jaw dropped that he had already scooted over several seats and was prepared for the shouting that was to follow.

Skye didn’t even get to open the letter because before she turned her attention back to it, it was floating up in the air and moulding itself into a mouth.

“AH! No, NO you don’t!” Skye went to grab for it, almost falling into a bowl of gravy during the process, but the magical envelope easily evaded her grasp.

“DAISY _SKYE_ JOHNSON!”

It was her mother’s voice.

“Oh god…” Skye covered her reddening face with her hands.  She wanted to hide under a rock.

“YOU ARE A FOOL.  A YOUNG FOOLISH GIRL!  HOW DARE YOU ENTER THAT TOURNAMENT AND NOT INFORM ME!  I AM YOUR MOTHER!  I HAD TO FIND OUT FROM THE PAPER!  THE PEOPLE AT THE LOCAL APOTHECARY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT BEFORE I EVEN KNEW!!  WAS THIS THAT ‘TRIP’ BOY’S IDEA?!  Hello Trip, it’s a pleasure as usual,” The letter stopped yelling long enough to turn and smile at the Gryffindor boy who was quickly getting up and running from the table to avoid the collateral damage.

“YOU DO NOT WRITE, YOU DO NOT COME HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. YOU SPEND ALL YOUR TIME WITH JEMMA!  I KNOW SHE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO LET YOU COMPETE IN THIS.  SHE IS A SMART GIRL!  I love you dear, how have you been?  You two should visit over Winter Holiday.  You’re always a pleasure to have in the house, Jemma.”

Skye looked over to Jemma, her own face still red from all the shouting.  She hoped it stopped soon.  People were starting to stop and stare at them and it made her tired brain want to implode.

After the red letter's pleasantries with Jemma it quickly turned back on Skye.  “I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!  I RAISED YOU TO MAKE SMARTER DECISIONS THAN THIS!  THAT BEING SAID, I am also very proud of you.  I hope you win, please write more and tell me about your tasks.  Love, Mom.”

Suddenly the letter burst into flames and fell onto the table, burning up till not a shred of the howler was left.  Skye’s hands were still over her face and she sighed heavily as she slowly lowered them.  Her face was about as red as the letter and she eyed Jemma in desperation.  The people that had stopped to stare and listen quickly moved on before they could be retaliated against.

“God that was embarrassing…”

Jemma wished she could feel sympathetic for her girlfriend, but all she could do was let out a small laugh that had been trapped in her throat the whole time the howler had been yelling at Skye. The brunette’s cheeks were still red and it was a rare sight for Jemma, so she enjoyed every moment of it.

“Your mother really is something,” She chuckled, waving at Trip to let him know it was over and he could return safely. Jemma actually enjoyed spending time with Skye’s mother very much. They traded off vacations, sometimes Skye would come home with Jemma and sometimes Jemma would go home with Skye. Just the thought of staying at Skye’s home for break, away from all the Triwizard Tournament madness, sounded like heaven on Earth. She couldn’t wait until Christmas, when she could snuggle up on the couch in Skye’s living room and watch all their favorite muggle holiday films. It was a tradition they’d started a few years back.

“So...Christmas at your house this time, Jems?” Skye asked, trying to shake off her embarrassment as she ran a hand through her hair.  The blush on her cheeks was still visible, but it was starting to fade and by the time Trip came to sit back down it was gone.

“Girl, if you don’t die in the tournament your mom is going to kill you when you get home,” He laughed and shook his head, taking a muffin from a plate piled high with them and eating it.

“Yeah, I sort of got that from the message…” Skye sighed and turned back to look at the two birds.  “Thanks for that Archi.  The one letter you actually manage to carry,” the brunette sighed and propped her face up in her hands, elbows on the table.  

______________

 

Jemma snapped the book shut and plopped down onto the ratty old attic couch next to Skye. They’d done enough studying and they should be able to enjoy a free period to themselves every now and then. She laid the book down on the ground and pulled her feet up onto the couch, crossing her legs and facing her girlfriend. Again, she felt the reversal since after the first task. Skye looked like she was slowly dozing off, her head was leaning against the back of the couch and her eyes were half closed. She hadn’t thought that the brunette would want to talk about the task before, but it’d been awhile since it had happened, so maybe she was ready to talk about it. Clearly whatever had happened was still causing her to lose sleep, so it was worth asking about.

“What’s bothering you?” She asked. She nudged Skye’s shoulder to wake her back up completely and waited patiently for an answer.

Skye jumped a little at the nudge, her eyes blinking a few times before they fully opened.  She looked like she was about to panic for a moment before she saw and remembered where they were.  She thought she might have fallen asleep in class again.  That would not have been good.  She was already behind in Defense Against the Dark Arts and she doubted Professor May was going to let her catch any more sleep in her class.

“Hm? What?  Nothing…” Skye shook her head, frowning.  It was obviously a lie, but she didn’t want to burden Jemma with anything, especially what had happened during the trial with the boggart of her father.  A smile soon replaced it and she leaned her head over onto Jemma’s shoulder and curled up.  Her libido from the previous week was running on empty and all she really wanted to do was enjoy her hour and a half break with a nap and some cuddles.  The only night she had gotten any sleep was the first night after the trial when Jemma had stayed all night with her.

Jemma welcomed Skye’s touch and wrapped her arms around the girl, but she knew that Skye was lying and there was definitely something going on. Something big had happened in the dungeon.

“We both know that’s not true,” She said quietly before pressing a light kiss to the top of Skye’s head. “After that boggart turned into your father and Headmaster Coulson led us out, something happened, didn’t it?” She asked. Whatever had happened during the hour Jemma had been forced to wait in the Great Hall had been enough to have Skye come out looking hardly alive and enough to keep her from sleeping at night. She hoped that Skye would open up about it, because it would probably help for someone else to know what she was going through.

“Oh yeah, we had a lovely talk and sat down to dinner…” Skye bit her lip, another tell, but that was laced with enough sarcasm for Jemma to know she was obviously trying to avoid the subject.  “It’s fine really.  I’m just tired…”  Her jaw clenched when she thought back on it.  She had managed to tune out Jemma’s screams during the day, but they kept her awake at night, but now they were back.  The brunette gently shrugged her girlfriend’s arm off and looked across the room.

“It’s not...you don’t need to worry about it.  It's my boggart, my trials, my tournament.”

Jemma felt something tug on her heart as Skye moved away. If whatever Skye wasn’t telling her was bad enough to make her act like this, then she definitely wanted to know.

“You’re tired because you’re not sleeping, because you’re clearly upset.” Jemma pointed out. She knew Skye was just being stubborn and slightly reclusive about her feelings, but she also knew she’d be able to get what she wanted out of the other girl eventually. “I’m just trying to help…” She added.  She reached for one of Skye’s hands and held it between her own, hoping it would keep Skye from withdrawing even further.

Skye should have known by now that trying to keep a wall up around Jemma was not going to work.  Keeping secrets and lying wasn’t the way to go in a relationship and Skye knew that, but...if she told Jemma the truth, she didn’t know what the girl would think of her.  Would she still be proud?  She doubted it.

The brunette squeezed Jemma’s hand and inhaled loudly, trying to find the words.  She might as well.  “I...I didn’t beat the third boggart,” She admitted, lowering her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at Jemma’s disappointed face.  “I wanted to but I just...I couldn’t so…” She forced a laugh and rolled her eyes, “Some champion, huh?”

“Hey, don’t say that.” Jemma squeezed Skye’s hand even tighter and tried to comfort her. She had guessed that something like that had happened just by Skye’s score, but she still didn’t know what was really bothering her. Getting extra points added to her score surely wasn’t what was keeping her from sleep. She remained quiet for a few moments, hoping Skye would continue explaining what had happened.

“Oh yeah!  You didn’t see me!”  Skye laughed again, although this time she was more laughing at herself then trying to get Jemma to think she was happy.  She had let go of Jemma’s hand and was up off the couch, running both her hands through her hair, holding onto her head.  She shook it in disbelief at herself.

“I couldn’t defeat it!  I couldn’t...I just. _..I ran away_.  I ran away, Jemma!  I left him in there with yo-” Skye cut herself off quickly and shoved her hands into the pockets of her pants.  Her lips were pursed into a thin line and she wouldn’t look at her girlfriend.  “It just wasn’t good...ok?”

“With me?” Jemma asked. She stayed on the couch, partially because of shock and partially because she knew getting up and chasing Skye around would only make the other girl more anxious.

Jemma remembered how both the first and second boggarts had been of her, so she didn’t really understand why she hadn’t thought of this earlier. What would she and Skye’s father be doing in the same nightmare, though?

“I don’t know what happened, but I can tell you for sure that it’s ok that you ran away. Those things were designed to scare you, you shouldn’t be ashamed for feeling fear. It’s ok.” Jemma assured her. She was still curious about what she had been doing with Skye’s father, but she didn’t want to push her girlfriend off an emotional cliff when she already seemed so dangerously close to the edge.

“It’s not ok!” Skye shouted, her hands coming out of her pockets and gripping the sides of her sweater.  “It’s not...It’s not,” The brunette just kept shaking her head until she managed to come back to reality.  She knelt down in front of Jemma on the couch and took her hand to hold, trying to breathe and steady herself.

“I wasn’t just afraid...I was angry too.  It was so believable...I forgot it wasn’t real.  But that is why it’s so scary, Jems...it could really happen.  I used the wrong spell I…” Skye looked down at her feet, “I didn’t even remember it was a boggart.  My first reaction wasn’t even to use the right spell.  I...I tried to kill him.  I _wanted_ to kill him…”

Jemma swallowed a lump in her throat. Just by the way Skye was looking at her, she was starting to get a little bit of an idea about what had happened. She knew that both herself and Skye’s father were there, and that Skye wanted to kill him. This clearly meant that her father, who wasn’t such a stand up guy, being a death eater and all, had probably done something to the boggart version of her.

“It’s perfectly normal to feel like that in such a bad situation, you did what you had to do to-”

“In no way was that situation even remotely normal, Jemma!!” The Slytherin girl shouted and stood up again.  Her hands kept returning to her head like she was trying to keep what little bit of sanity she had left inside.  “Nothing about it was normal!  Normal people’s dads don’t show up in their nightmares setting their girlfriends under the _cruciatus_ _curse_ because _normal_ people’s fathers aren’t _Death Eaters_!  I wanted to kill him, I _tried_ to kill him!  Trip and I had been studying dark spells he found in the restricted section so I thought I should learn some.  It wouldn’t hurt, except it did!  He just laughed.  He just laughed at me!  He said I was exactly like him...and I _am_!”

Skye fell to her knees on the floor and all her frustration she had been keeping in came rupturing out like a volcano.  She had been too exhausted to cry that night but now she made up for it.  Her fists were clenched on the floor and her shoulders were shaking so violently it was like a tiny earthquake inside her body.

It was a lot of information for Jemma to take in at once. First, she was horrified to find out that Skye had to watch her suffer under an unforgivable curse, and second, she was worried and a little bit angry with Trip for encouraging the use of dark magic. But lastly, she was absolutely devastated that Skye could even think for just a second that she was anything like her father.

“No, that’s not true.” Jemma said insistently. She flew off the couch in an instant and kneeled next to Skye, grabbing her arms and trying to get the girl to look up at her. “You’re nothing like him.” Jemma removed one of her hands from Skye’s arm, but only to tilt her chin upwards so they were looking into each others eyes.

“You’re not.” She repeated herself. “You’re kind, and you’re caring. You’re loving and compassionate and a million other things that your father is not.” Jemma tried to convince Skye, but she could tell her words weren’t having much effect on the distraught girl. “Even though you did use dark magic, you didn’t do it anything like your father would. He does what he does because he’s sadistic, he’s terrible. You did what you did because you love me, you were trying to protect me from those evils.” Jemma explained. She hoped at least some of her words were getting through.

“It wasn’t real. None of it was real. Nothing is ever going to happen to me.” She assured Skye.

Skye had stopped shaking, and less and less tears were streaming down her cheeks, but her breath was still out of sync.  She had used dark magic like her father, it was true, but she had used it to try and save Jemma.  Even though she had tried to kill her father, and her father killed people, she was doing it to save Jemma.  But she still had left.  She had abandoned her and left her to that torture.  Skye kept the last part to herself.  Crucio was enough.  Jemma didn’t need to know she had heard the killing curse too.  She had abandoned the person she loved...just like her father had abandoned her and her mother to continue being a Death Eater.  She had his blood running through her veins.  Skye was not convinced that she wasn’t like him in some way, but she was drained, and too tired to argue with Jemma anymore.  If Jemma thought she wasn’t like him, then perhaps she wasn’t.

Skye threw her arms around her girlfriend once the majority of her sobbing had stopped and she held her tightly.  Nothing was going to happen to her.  The way she said it, looking into her eyes, assuring her it hadn’t been real, Skye believed it.


	10. Complicated Shit

 

“We’re going to run out of time,” Jemma sighed and dropped the box back onto the table. Skye had handed it over to her and Fitz again to try and figure out, but they were no closer to figuring out what it was or how to open it than they were the day after the first task. It had been almost a month, and they had nothing. There was only a little more than a month and a half left before the next task, so Jemma was already beginning to panic a little bit.

“We’ll figure it out.” Fitz said confidently beside her. He picked up the box and turned it over in his hands as if he’d somehow see something new. They’d looked in every book they thought could possibly help, but there’d been nothing.

Jemma didn’t feel like eating tonight, she’d been too focused on the box and she and Skye had already had a bunch of candy in the attic earlier that day. She shifted her eyes and let them land on Skye across the hall at the Slytherin table. She knew the other girl was still having some trouble sleeping, but it was clear that she had been getting a bit better because she didn’t look as completely as exhausted as before.

“I haven’t found anything either.” Bobbi suddenly announced herself as she sat next to Jemma, her own black box in hand. Thanks to the second boggart, Jemma knew that Skye was worried about her and Bobbi, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from being friends with her. If she listened to Skye’s jealousy before, she would have never had Fitz, so she remained friends with Bobbi as well.

It was true.  Skye still wasn’t getting the quality of sleep she used too, but thanks to having told Jemma what had happened, some of the weight had been lifted.  She didn’t have nightmares every night now, only a few nights, but she still slept in the attic with special permission from her Prefect.  No one enjoyed waking up in the wee hours of the morning so it was the best deal for everyone.  She was trying hard not to worry about the box, but she could tell that Jemma was starting to get panicked.  Even Fitz couldn’t figure it out, and the two of them together were like the wonder-wizarding duo.  

Skye was sitting alone at the Slytherin table.  Her quidditch mates were around her, but they had stopped talking to her ever since she failed the test.  Slytherin’s didn’t come in last and she was acutely feeling the ramifications of it.  No, now she got to stare at Jemma and Bobbi from across the room all by her lonesome, although Trip did keep making silly faces at her from the Gryffindor table to cheer her up.  It made her smile enough to not mind.

Jemma had given him a stern talking too after finding out he was the one who had given her the book on dark magic.  Skye had heard all about it and how he had been turned in and had to give the book back to the library.  Even got points docked from Gryffindor.  Only fifty, but fifty could mean a lot in the long run.  She found it amusing.  As the food magically appeared onto the table, Headmaster Coulson stood up before anyone could grab any.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament has come and gone.  After winter break in February, the second Task will take place.  I know that all of you are excited to witness it, but before any of that there is another aspect of the Tournament for which you all need to be preparing.”  There were some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and speculation in hushed tones about what it could possibly be.  Skye herself was quite interested.  What else could they possibly ask of her to do that could be any worse than the tasks?

“The Yule Ball traditionally accompanies the Triwizard Tournament and this year will be no different.  The Ball is to be held the night before winter break begins and is the formal highlight of the tournament.  All are encouraged to attend.  More information will be distributed in your classrooms and posted outside of the great hall as the event draws closer.”

There were some more murmurs followed by some happy cheering as well as those who sounded like formal dancing was the worst thing in the world.  Skye was one of those people.  She did not enjoy formal dances.  She was more interested in the free spirit muggle sort of dancing that went on at parties and raves, not weddings and ballrooms.  Still, she didn’t even know if Jemma liked to dance.  

Skye’s eyes shot over to the Ravenclaw table where Jemma was still sitting with Bobbi. _What if she asks her first?!  Idiot, Jemma wouldn’t say yes.  She’s dating you, duh._ Skye’s brow furrowed and she took a biscuit from a bowl and shoved half of it into her mouth while she chewed angrily.  But Bobbi would certainly have the balls to ask, Skye knew that much.  She hadn’t been flirting with her nonstop for no reason.  Certainly this must be a goal, to get Jemma to go to the dance with her.  That had to be her endgame.

_Stop thinking about it!  Jemma is going to go with you.  You don’t even like dancing but you are going to suck it up because Jems will look so cute and hot in a fancy ass dress.  You can live through it._  Skye sighed and tore her gaze away, filling her plate with some other food.  She wasn’t too hungry though, after all the candy she and Jemma had eaten earlier.  They would need to make a new trip to Honeydukes to restock soon.

As soon as Headmaster Coulson announced the Yule Ball, Jemma could feel something shift in the girl next to her. She suddenly remembered that strange image from the first task of the boggart version of herself and Bobbi, and she had to blink twice to shake the image from her mind. Bobbi moved slightly in her seat and Jemma felt her heart begin to race a little. Bobbi wouldn’t ask her to the ball, would she? That would be really awkward. Her usual planned rejection line from the few times another guy had asked her out was “Sorry, I’m gay,” but that wouldn’t exactly work in this case.

She wasn’t stupid, she knew by now that Bobbi and Skye absolutely hated each other and should never be within ten yards of each other, so she tended not to talk to Bobbi about Skye or to Skye about Bobbi. If the tall blonde did ask her, she’d have to undergo a terribly awkward conversation about how she couldn’t go with anyone else because Skye was her girlfriend. She’d probably end up spending the evening of the ball in the attic with Skye, she wasn’t sure her girlfriend was even going to ask her. These types of events weren’t really her scene. On the other hand, if Bobbi asked, would she be offended that Jemma wasn’t planning on going with anyone but still declined? If Skye didn’t ask her to go anyway, would she be offended if Jemma went with Bobbi?

Jemma had to remind herself that all of this depended on whether or not Bobbi actually asked her, which hadn’t happened yet. She shouldn’t even be worrying about this until it actually happened, especially when there were so many more important things to think about. She couldn’t let herself become an annoying, hormonal teenage girl who had nothing to obsess about other than the school dance. That wasn’t her.

“Hey, Jemma?” Bobbi caught her attention. Jemma could feel her pulse racing and she really didn’t want to have to deal with an awkward situation. The blonde’s voice was different than it usually was. Normally, she sounded confident and proud, but Bobbi’s slightly nervous, unsure tone made Jemma uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, I think I left one of my books in the library earlier.” Jemma blurted out before Bobbi could get any further. It was a total lie and she was pretty sure Bobbi knew it, but she needed to talk to Skye before she could deal with Bobbi asking her to come to the ball. She needed to plan, it’s what she did. She needed to know what Skye was going to do and how she would feel before she could even think about deciding what she was going to be doing that night. She took the black box back from Fitz and quickly gathered her things, leaving her stunned friends behind as she rushed off towards the library for refuge.

By the time Skye looked up to see what Jemma and Bobbi were up to again, all she could see was Bobbi, sitting by herself along with Fitz, who looked rather taken aback.  Her eyebrow rose in confusion as she quickly scanned the table, and finding no Jemma, her eyes darted to the door in just enough time to see the light brown haired girl rush out.  It was highly unlike Jemma to leave before dinner was even over, since they waited for each other outside afterwards practically every night.  She looked back to Bobbi, with what was most certainly a glare.  What had she said to Jemma?  Had she tried to ask her to the dance? So soon?!

The brunette jumped up from the table and sprang over the bench.  She hastily chased after Jemma, through the great hall doors and into the hallway.  She was probably heading towards the library and when Skye looked, she had been correct.  Jemma was heading in that direction.  She raced after her and before they could turn down the other hall, Skye reached out and caught Jemma’s arm.

“Jemma?  Are you alright? What’s going on?” The Slytherin girl asked, finally managing to stop the girl’s dash to the library.  “What is it?  It’s unlike you to just get up and leave…”  Skye held her arm gently, slowly guiding her hand down to hold Jemma’s hand instead. She wanted to ask if Bobbi had said or done something, but she refrained...for now.

Jemma nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her arm, but she was relieved to find that it had just been Skye. She found herself stumped by her girlfriend’s questions. She couldn’t just tell her what she was thinking, it was too ridiculous. She knew that Skye absolutely hated Bobbi and she wasn’t sure what the brunette would do if Jemma voiced her suspicions about Bobbi wanting to ask her to the dance. She didn’t really want Skye to know, she wanted to know if Skye was going to ask on her own. She definitely didn’t want Skye asking her to the dance just to beat Bobbi. If they were going to go, she wanted it to be because they both wanted to.

“I… uh, I left a book in the library.” She sputtered out the same lame excuse she had used on Bobbi. Her eyes darted to the floor before returning to Skye’s eyes, hoping to maybe at least seem a little honest.

Skye frowned, but it was only a half frown, because really the other part of her wanted to grin.  Jemma was absolutely, without a doubt, the worst liar Skye had ever met.  Her eyes always looked around, she fiddled with her hands, she blushed.  Yeah, she was lying.  The brunette shook her head and sighed, deciding to smile instead.

“Yeah, I think we both know that you didn’t leave a book in the library.  One, that’s really unlike you, and two, I know you’re lying.  Your nose is red,” Skye finished, grinning, and nodded towards the hall.  “We can go to the library, but you’re going to tell me what’s wrong.”

Jemma blushed even more furiously than she had been before because she’d been caught so easily. She really needed to get better at lying. She just nodded and squeezed her girlfriend’s hand. Finishing the walk to the library and the attic would give her enough time to come up with a more believable reason for her to get up and leave during dinner.

“Nothing’s wrong, exactly…” Jemma felt she needed to at least keep Skye from worrying. It really wasn’t that something was _wrong_ , she was just a little confused about what she was going to be doing the night of the Yule Ball and she was too embarrassed to bring it up. They continued to walk down the empty hall and Jemma struggled to find the words to finish her thought. She came up blank, so she let silence take over and continued walking with her eyes on the ground.

Skye let them walk in silence the rest of the way to the library and even so far as the enchanted door to let them up into the attic, but once she had climbed up the ladder after Jemma she began her mission anew.

“Well, if nothing is wrong then why did you run out?” Skye asked, trying to be patient with Jemma like she had for her so many times before, but Skye wasn’t the patient person.  Jemma was.  And her question about Bobbi was right on the tip of her tongue.  She bit it.

“It’s just unusual for you is all, to run out so fast.  I thought you were just going to wait like normal.  Oh, did you figure something out about the box?” Skye asked instead of asking about Bobbi.  It was a very good possibility that she had gotten a clue instead.  Skye hoped that was it.

“Like I said, it’s not a problem, just a thought.” Jemma sat down on the couch and leaned all the way back into the worn in cushions. Maybe she did have a way out of this without telling Skye everything. Why did Skye have to be the one to ask her to the ball? It wasn’t like they had set roles to play.

“Are we going to… Would you like to…” It felt like Jemma’s face had been sunburnt and she knew she was probably completely red at this point. Even now, when they were dating, asking Skye out was much easier said than done. Well, it wasn’t easy to be said, either, apparently. The Slytherin girl had always been the one to do all the asking. “Do you want to go to the ball?” Jemma finally blurted out. About ninety percent of her was actually expecting Skye to not want to go at all. She knew Skye didn’t like that kind of thing, and now she even felt a little stupid for asking.

Skye was confused at first, with Jemma stumbling through her words it was hard to tell what the problem was until the girl finally got it out.  Then a warm smile crept over her lips and the brunette even chuckled a little.

“Look at this.  Jemma Simmons is asking me to the daaance,” Skye drew the sentence out in a sarcastic, teasing tone as she stepped closer to the shorter girl on the couch and took both of her hands in her own.  She had been about to ask Jemma the same thing anyway, so the desired effect was in fact, achieved.  Still, she didn’t think asking her out to the ball warranted Jemma rushing out from dinner.  It could wait a moment.  Right now Skye was just enthralled with how adorable her girlfriend was being.

“Since you asked so nicely then, yes.  I would love to go with you,” Skye smiled and quickly shot down and wrapped her arms around the girl, tickling at her sides before she fell onto the couch herself.

“Skye, stop it!” Jemma laughed, trying and failing to slap away the other girl’s hands. The only way to stop the attack was to fight back, so the smaller girl threw herself at Skye, tackling her and pinning her shoulders to the couch in a weak attempt to stop the tickling.

“Oh _no_!  I’ve been trapped,” Skye chuckled, rolling her eyes at Jemma and letting herself be ‘pinned’ down.  The girl above her was so small she doubted she could hold even a rabbit down if she wanted to.  Skye acted quickly, wrapping her arms back around Jemma’s waist and pulling her down tightly with a cunning smirk, “Oh, looks like you’re trapped too.  How... _unfortunate_ ,” Her grin widened and her fingers spread out and tickled Jemma again.  When Jemma moved her head to the side to try and escape, Jemma would feel a set of teeth nip at her neck.  Skye could put their issues on hold for a minute or two.

Jemma gasped in surprise and pushed down against Skye's shoulders, but the brunette's arms wrapped firmly around her waist weren't letting her move very far away. After she felt a few more teasing kisses on her pulse point, however, she accepted her fate and let her body relax and mold into Skye's like it belonged there, because it did. She drew her face away for only a moment, just long enough to get Skye to pause so that she could make a move herself.  Jemma's hands moved to the cushion on either side of Skye's head so she could prop herself up above the brunette. Her lips met Skye's and she felt the familiar warmth that always traveled through her body whenever she was with Skye like this. The kiss was playful, as Jemma could feel both of their mouths stretched into small smiles and she gently bit the other girl's bottom lip as a reward for finally letting up on the tickling.

Skye grinned into the kiss.  They were being playful, and she loved it when they were cute and snuggly adorable like two peas in their little old ratty couch pod.  Biting lips was a game changer though.  Skye could switch moods in an instant.  She had actually let out a tiny satisfied moan.  Something about having her lip bitten was just something that Skye couldn’t get used to, in the best way possible.  Just like when Jemma messed with her ears.  Sometimes Jemma minded these quick changes, and sometimes she didn’t.  Skye just had to see which it was today.

         Her arms loosened from around Jemma, but they did not leave her.  They slid down to her waist and held there rather firmly, a good indication of what Skye was about to ask for.  Skye was biting her own lip now, debating on whether or not they even had time for this.  Of course they had time.  They had left dinner early.  Skye had already begun her new assault on Jemma’s neck, kissing and nipping there again in a less playful manner than before, when she remembered.  

         That’s right.  They had left dinner early.  Jemma had run out.  Surely she hadn’t rushed away so quickly just to ask her to go to the ball with her.  That seemed silly and Jemma could have waited till after dinner for that.  So why had she actually run off?   _Bobbi_.  Skye bit down on Jemma’s neck a little harder than she meant to.

Jemma felt a sharp pain on her throat and yelped, pulling away from Skye and pressing her palm against her stinging skin. Usually she liked Skye biting- loved it, actually- but this one kind of hurt. She searched Skye’s face for an answer or an explanation for why she’d just bitten her with so much force. Skye looked annoyed, angry even, and Jemma knew the mood had been killed. She scrambled off of Skye when she abruptly sat up.

“What was that?” She asked, still rubbing the sore spot on her neck. It was definitely going to leave a mark.

“An accident,” Skye answered, though it didn’t sound like much of an apology.  Her arms were crossed over her chest.  She couldn’t hold her tongue anymore, no matter how much she would have liked the previous situation to continue.

“You still ran out, and we both know you didn’t run out just to ask me to the stupid dance. What did Bobbi say to you? What did she do?  Did she ask you first?  Could you not just say no, so you had to go get an excuse?”  She was upset, the words coming out perhaps a little more bitter than she had meant them to but it had to be true.  There would be no other reason for Jemma to try and lie about it and then distract her.

“No, Bobbi didn’t say anything.” Jemma answered quickly, not wanting Skye to get the wrong idea. This whole thing had been blown way out of proportion, all because she _thought_ that _maybe_ Bobbi would ask her. “I just… I thought she was going to.” Jemma shrugged and looked down at her hands in her lap. This whole thing was stupid, she should have just stayed at dinner.

“So you just left instead of saying no?  You ran all the way to the library to avoid saying no?  I’m pretty sure the conversation ‘Oh sorry blondie I have a girlfriend’ is a pretty easy one to have, Jemma.  You didn’t have to rush here and ask me first just to have an excuse.  Or were you just too nervous?  Because I don’t like dances you thought you’d see if I want to go and if I didn’t then you would just go say yes to _her_?”  Skye was upset.  Clearly.  She was already off the couch and pacing around like she did when she was mad.  She was probably flying off the handle a little too soon but she didn’t care.  The Slytherin girl was a terrible green monster, she might as well have been the wicked witch of the west.

Jemma felt the accusations hit her hard. This was a complete and utter misunderstanding, it shouldn’t have even gotten this far.

“No, that’s not it at all!” She said urgently, hoping she was going to be able to get Skye to calm down enough to listen and understand. She knew that wasn’t very likely, though. “I ran out of the great hall because I didn’t want Bobbi to ask me.” She tried to explain. She jumped off the couch and stood in Skye’s pacing path to try and stop her. Her girlfriend clearly didn’t look any less upset by this, so Jemma decided to elaborate and just explain. She’d rather be a little embarrassed and admit what she was thinking then have Skye be angry with her.

“I didn’t want Bobbi to ask me because I was afraid you were going to ask me just out of jealousy. I want you to come because you actually want to. That’s why I asked you before you knew about Bobbi, so you wouldn’t just say yes because you didn’t want her to try and take me.” Jemma explained in a rush, not even sure Skye understood all of it because she’d been talking so quickly. Every second her girlfriend remained silent, her anxiety grew.

“I’m pretty sure that we have already established that my jealous issue with Bobbi is an _issue_ , or have you already forgotten my first task?” Skye asked, shoving her hands into her pockets and sitting down on the couch.  “I, yeah, I probably would have asked because of that anyway, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t also just want to go with you.  I mean I might not like this stuff but I know that you do and the Yule ball is a pretty big deal…” The brunette bit her lip and shook her head, “Whatever.  I’ll go if you want to go.  I already said yes, so you can go tell your stalker no now.”

Jemma knew Skye’s words weren’t supposed to hurt, but they still did. It was pretty clear that Jemma was the only one of them that actually wanted to go. She didn’t want to force Skye to come with her, and clearly going as friends with Bobbi was not an option. Going alone wouldn’t be any fun, so maybe she’d just stay in that night.

This was exactly what she thought would happen. Skye would never really want to go to a dance with her, she should have known. Even if Bobbi wasn’t a factor her girlfriend would still only be coming to please her. It was stupid to think that Skye would ever want to go to something like this anyway. It just wasn’t her.

“We don’t have to go.” Jemma said quietly, gathering her things. “I’m just going to go back to the common rooms, curfew is soon anyway.” She clutched her bag tightly and left the attic without looking at Skye. They’d been fighting too much recently, and now they were fighting about stupid things like a school dance. She really wished they could just go back to last year.

Skye huffed, staying seated on the couch as she watched Jemma go.  She laid down on her new ‘bed’ for the past few weeks, arms behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling.  That wasn’t supposed to have happened.  She just blew up again and although she was still bitter about it, Skye still wanted to make Jemma happy.  She would go to the dance if that’s what Jemma wanted.  

“Stupid, you had to be jealous and make shit complicated…”

 

 


	11. Yule Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahead!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skimmonsfiction from tumblr and I needed to change the rating because we wrote some Smut for you guys. We hope you like it!

There was only a week left before the ball, and though it was presumably a tad late to ask someone to it, Skye needed to try again anyway.  She and Jemma had been dancing around each other again and it was getting awkward and the brunette had been starting to miss her.  Especially when Headmaster Coulson had pulled her aside after dinner the day after the Yule Ball announcement was made and said that Champions were required to attend.  Why she had waited so long to tell her girlfriend she didn’t know.

            Most of her bitterness about Bobbi had faded away as panic began to set in.  She was required to dance (which she hated) and the last she and Jemma had talked about it, they weren’t going.  Skye sure as hell wasn’t going to go and dance by herself without a date.  Bobbi would enjoy that too much, and Jemma had wanted to go in the first place anyway.  Maybe she was nervous that Jemma wouldn’t want to go anymore because of how she had acted back in the attic so many weeks before.  It was speculation like that that got her in trouble in the first place.

            Skye had finally swallowed what was left of her jealousy and pride and was resolved to re-ask Jemma to the dance.  For this reason, she had found herself walking all the way across the castle towards Ravenclaw tower.  Her face was flushed slightly and she was getting some odd stares from students walking by, but being in full on dress robes during the middle of a Sunday for no particular reason might warrant some stares.  She had to play this right, be cute and romantic, which wasn’t her strong suit really.  She had been to Hogsmeade by herself the day before and marched into Honeydukes.  She had bought every single chocolate frog on the shelf, which had been a lot, and her stomach churned with remembrance.  Fifty-seven chocolate frogs she had bought.  Thank goodness she had only needed to eat thirty-two of them before she found a card that she was pretty sure Jemma didn’t have.  It was tucked away in her pocket, along with a note.

            The many flights of stairs up the tower were daunting, especially with so much chocolate in her stomach.  She had needed to stop midway up, to slow down, and keep herself from losing them all again.  Skye was glad that her blush probably covered the sickly green she felt, but she needed to push through it.

            At last, at the top of the stairs, she took out the note from her pocket and read over it one more time.

            _Jems,_

_I know you taught me a lot of riddles to get into the tower, but you know that I get them all jumbled up.  I want to apologize so please meet me outside the Ravenclaw door._

_PS-I have a surprise for you._

_-Love, Skye  
_             So it was a little dorky, but she couldn’t help it.  Skye folded the paper up and looked around to make sure no one was coming.  Once the stairwell was clear, she took out her wand and concentrated very hard, pointing it at the paper.  She mumbled a few words she remembered from Transfiguration class and suddenly the little note was turning into an adorable little white mouse.

            “Alright little guy, go find Jemma,” Skye set the mouse down on the floor and as a Ravenclaw opened the door to come out, the tiny little creature jumped in and scurried about on its mission.  The brunette sighed then and leaned back against the wall to wait.  Hopefully the mouse wouldn’t get eaten by any cats on its way or stop for some cheese.

            Jemma blinked a few times and rubbed at her dry eyes. She’d been studying the entire morning for a big test coming up before everyone went home for Christmas and she hadn’t remembered to take a break. It was time she get up and do something, anything, to stretch her legs. She closed the textbook she’d been reading from and stood from one of the many desks in the Ravenclaw common room. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, though. Normally she would have just found Skye, but they were going through another weird cold spot.

            Before she even made it a few steps from the desk, she stumbled a few feet and nearly fell on her face. She’d just seen something scurry across the floor and had been trying to avoid stepping on it. A lot of people in her house wouldn’t have minded accidentally killing a mouse or pest of some kind, but Jemma didn’t really like killing anything.

            She looked back down at her feet to make sure she hadn’t actually stepped on the tiny creature, but instead of a mouse she was surprised to see a piece of parchment lying on the floor. It was a note from Skye, one that made her smile when she bent over to pick it up and read it. Of course she wouldn’t have remembered any answers to the riddles Jemma had tried teaching her. Maybe this was a sign that they could  go back to normal. That thought made her grin even wider. She stuffed the note into her pocket and swiftly walked over to the entrance to the common room.

            Jemma threw open the door and blushed almost immediately. Skye was standing right there, well, leaning against the wall right there, in her dress robes. Her cloak was hanging over her arm and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail that somehow still worked with the formal clothing. Jemma slipped out of the door and closed it behind her, not being able to stop the quick once-over she gave the brunette. It was odd to see Skye all dressed up, but it would be a complete lie to say she didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. Upon her arrival, Skye stood up straight and tried to compose herself, and it made Jemma want to laugh. She’d never seen her like this before.

            Skye’s blush quickly darkened and she had to clear her throat to keep herself together.  She quickly turned around, only for a moment, hoping that the blush would go away as she set the overcoat over the railing.  She was still red when she turned back around, but she tried to ignore it.  She didn’t miss how pleased Jemma seemed to look upon seeing her attire.

            “Hey,” The Slytherin girl finally managed, her eyes on the floor, before they moved up to meet Jemma’s.  “I’m glad that trick worked,” She smiled slightly and took a few more awkward steps to close the distance between them.  

            “I’ve got you something,” She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out the card from the chocolate frog.  “I’m pretty sure you don’t have this one...I had to eat over thirty frogs to find it so maybe don’t hug me too tightly unless you want to see them all back in the real world.”

            A laugh escaped Jemma’s throat at Skye’s words and the image in her head of her trying to eat all that chocolate.

            “Thank you.” She giggled, taking the card Skye so eagerly offered her. An anxious look covered her features, she was clearly worried that Jemma may actually already have the card. Even if she did have it, she planned on throwing the old one out and letting Skye think she’d found a new one. When she looked down and read the name, she was surprised and also excited. “Miranda Goshawk,” She read, “Author of The Standard Book of Spells series, the set of textbooks used at Hogwarts.” She smiled and moved the card side to side a little, watching the picture move. It was, in fact, a card she didn’t have yet.

“This is so sweet of you.” She said, giving Skye that gentle hug she’d asked for. When she pulled away, she couldn’t help but laugh again at the sick expression on Skye’s face. “Maybe a little _too_ sweet.” She joked, referring to the large amount of chocolate her girlfriend had consumed.

            “Oh, ha, ha, so funny,” Skye grinned wide though, despite the pun and how sick she actually did feel.  Thirty-two chocolate frogs for breakfast had probably been a terrible idea, but she couldn’t just leave them to jump around and melt all in the attic floor.  She had taken one for the team...or rather, thirty-two for the team.

            “I’m glad you like it,” The brunette finally said, still smiling, before she sighed and gently took up one of Jemma’s hands into her own.  “I know I was a total green monster the other week, and I’m sorry.  I acted like a jerk...but if you could manage to forgive me, do you think you’d still like to go to the ball?”

            Skye blushed again and shifted her weight awkwardly, “I’m sort of required to go, as a champion.  I have to start the first dance off with my date and it would be sort of lonely and boring if I didn’t have a date.  I mean thats not why I’m asking, its only part of the reason really, but yeah...w-would you like to still go?  With me?”

            Jemma’s heart melted a little bit because of Skye’s adorable, romantic way of asking her to the ball, and she definitely would have hugged her tightly if she wasn’t afraid of getting thrown up on.

            “Really?” Jemma’s voice was probably about an octave higher than what was socially acceptable. “I would love to.” She finally put Skye out of her misery with a yes. She used the hand Skye had been holding hers with to pull her girlfriend in closer, and she stood on her toes to give Skye a quick kiss. She hadn’t been lying, the chocolate taste was definitely still there.

            Skye had a wide smile on her face and if she didn’t feel so ill, she would have definitely gone in for more kisses.  As it was though, she settled for the one, but moved her arms around to hold the girl anyway.  “So I know you were probably studying...but I’ve got twenty-five chocolate frogs left for you to go through, because I don’t think I’ll be eating anymore of them anytime soon.  Want to take a break?  I need to get out of these anyway...before I mess them up.  Pretty sure mom would kill me if she had to buy new ones.”

            “Oh my gosh! That’s right!” Skye’s comment reminded Jemma of clothes, and she definitely didn’t have a nice enough dress on hand. “I have to send an owl to my mum!” She exclaimed, ignoring Skye’s completely amused expression. If she didn’t let her mother know she was going soon, there wouldn’t be enough time to get a dress and she wouldn’t have anything to go in.   
            “Okay, okay.  Lets go to the owlry, and then you can come eat chocolate frogs,” Skye smiled and nodded towards the staircase.  She gently nudged Jemma along so that she could go write her little letter.  It would be a shame if she didn’t have anything to go in after Skye waited so long to ask her to go again.  She wouldn’t have anyone to blame but herself.

__________

            Skye rubbed the back of her neck.  Was she sweating?  She was nervous, but she didn’t think it would be _that_ bad.  She’d managed to calm herself down enough to make it to the Great Hall, or just outside the doors.  Jemma had told her that she would meet her here, so here she was, waiting.  It was the night of the ball and many other students were already filling into the Great Hall for the beginning of the ball.

            The brunette was starting to get anxious, standing there and waiting for her girlfriend.  She had seen the Durmstrang champion walk in with his date already.  She hadn’t spied Bobbi, but then again she was doing her best not to think about blondie at the moment.  Skye needed to focus on Jemma.  She wasn’t going to be the jealous one tonight.

            She looked pretty much the same as she had when she had went to ask Jemma to the dance.  The girl had seemed to like the look so much Skye decided not to change it much, messy hair and all.  Her arms were crossed now, as she waited, one hand gripping very tightly onto a small white flower.  She had managed to snag one from the grounds, thanks to Archi who had brought it to her.  He was a small bird, and yet so determined.  Skye kept her eyes on the stairs, wondering how long Jemma was going to make her wait in anticipation.

            Jemma had probably been just around the corner for at least ten minutes now, eagerly pacing back and forth a few steps. She was excited, but also really nervous. The dress her mother had sent her definitely wasn’t something she would have picked out on her own, even though she liked it. It exposed a lot of skin, which was something she was not used to. The navy blue dress went down to her ankles, but the upper half was a different story. A collar-like piece of the dress secured the top, which left all of her shoulders and a large section of her back exposed.

            She’d waiting long enough. Many students had already passed her and gone into the great hall with their dates, and she was still hiding out up here. She really didn’t have a reason to be nervous, she and Skye had been dating for over five years now and the other girl had definitely already seen more than just her shoulders. Before she could change her mind, she stepped around the corner and met Skye’s eyes. Jemma almost felt bad for keeping her waiting when she’d been just down the stairs the whole time.

            Skye almost slipped off the place she was leaning against the wall when she spied Jemma in the dark blue dress at the top of the stairs.  It took her a second to catch herself, before she straightened up, a blush starting to color her cheeks.  She quickly brushed off her vest and watched, perhaps a little too eagerly, as her girlfriend descended down the stairs.  She realized her mouth was dry, partly because she was still nervous, and partly because now it was hanging open a little.

            She quickly shut it and formed a smile and strode over the rest of the way to the staircase to meet her at the bottom.  The dress was definitely unlike what Skye had imagined Jemma would show up in.  It didn’t look her style at all, but she would be lying if she didn’t think Jemma looked very _very_ good in it.  The Ball was now completely worth it to see her in this.  Skye wondered briefly if they would be able to sneak away a little early.  She liked the dress on, but she thought maybe it might look better on the floor.

            Jemma would have had to have been blind to miss the way Skye was staring at her. She actually felt relieved when she reached the bottom of the stairs, it had felt like everyone had been watching her.

            “What? Is there something on my face?” She asked, reaching up with one hand just to check. It would be really embarrassing if she had accidentally smudged her makeup or something. She wasn’t very good at it.

            “What?  No, you’re gorgeous,” Skye chuckled and grabbed Jemma’s hands, pulling her away from the stairs, “You’re beautiful.  Stop worrying.  Pretty sure my eyes can’t even take how amazing you look!” She actually laughed this time, a huge smile on her face.  She tried to keep it from turning greedy.  She had to admit, the bare shoulders and open back were very nice indeed.  Skye didn’t know if she could resist touching it all night.

            Jemma blushed and pressed herself into Skye’s side, where she felt a lot more comfortable. She wasn’t good at getting compliments, she never knew what to do or say back.

            “You look nice as well.” Jemma added. She was very much enjoying Skye in dress robes. She wished she could get a good picture, because she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to wrangle her into them again. She was lucky this ball was formal, or she would have never known how great her girlfriend looked all dressed up.

            Skye had been right.  One of her hands was already resting on Jemma’s waist and the other was just itching for skin.  She managed to settle it into her pocket instead.  “I would say we should go in, but I’d rather not now.  If it weren’t for this stupid first dance I’d like to take you and that fancy dress to the attic,” The Slytherin girl whispered before she nipped at Jemma’s ear.  “Lucky for you though, we actually have to go dance.  Shall we go in?” Skye grinned, leaning back and nodding towards the open doors of the Great Hall.  She was pleased with the bright pink blush she had just put on her girlfriend’s cheeks.  Skye would be patient.  She could sneak them away in a little while.

            Jemma blushed and pinched Skye’s side, hoping to get her to stop with those types of comments when their peers were around. When they walked through the open doors into the great hall, Jemma’s jaw dropped a little bit and she stared at all of the beautiful winter decorations that completely transformed the room. Students were everywhere around the sides of the room, but the dance floor was still empty, as the music hadn’t started yet. A little bit of the anxiety returned when Jemma remembered that they were supposed to have the first dance with the other champions, in front of so many people.

            “We probably should have prepared a dance…” Jemma said quietly, clutching Skye’s arm just a little tighter. She could see it now, one of them was going to step on the other’s foot or something and they were going to make complete fools of themselves.

            Skye looked down at her arm first and then at Jemma with a small smile.  She had already took a peek inside so she knew how well decorated the event was but walking in with Jemma made it much better.  The girl was obviously nervous, and so was she but at this point she was more determined than anything.

            “Calm down, it’ll be fine,” Skye grinned and leaned down just a little, pecking Jemma on the cheek before she nodded to the dance floor, “I’ve got it covered.  Just make sure you know how to follow, ok?” The Slytherin girl winked, but for now, walked them over to a large table of refreshments.  “Have some punch to calm down.”

            Jemma’s eyebrows shot up when Skye told her to follow. She’d never done this kind of dancing with Skye before, so she had just assumed that her girlfriend didn’t know how to ballroom dance.

            “ _You_ can dance??” She asked skeptically.

            Skye’s eyebrow rose in question as she looked down at Jemma.  She seemed rather shocked, or at least surprised, and Skye put on her best offended face, “Of course I can.  Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to do it.  I don’t live under a rock, Jemma.”  She rolled her eyes for effect, but then she broke out into another smile, “Mom made me take some classes.  I still remember most of it.  I went to three weddings last summer, remember?”

            Jemma stifled a laugh as she imagined twelve-year-old Skye taking dancing lessons that her mother forced her to go to. She was never going to let this one go.

            “Stop laughing,” Skye took advantage the arm around Jemma’s waist and tickled her lightly.  She waited for the girl to stop laughing before she took a cup and ladled some punch in and handed it to Jemma.  “Here, have some of this,” She poured some for herself and took a large gulp.  She was still nervous, but she knew that with Jemma there now that she would be alright.  The music performers were starting to pick up their instruments and tune, so it would be time to begin any moment.

            Before Jemma drank any of the punch, she searched Skye’s face for her usual mischievous grin.

            “Before I even think about drinking this I want you to promise that neither you or Trip has come anywhere near it before this moment.” Jemma joked, though she was also partially serious. She wouldn’t be surprised if one of the two had used some kind of magic prank, or even just plain spiked it.   

            Skye rolled her eyes and finished off her punch, slamming the cup down on the table with a big grin, “I promise that I have not touched the punch until now.” She winked then and turned to face the dancefloor.  “I cannot promise that Trip hasn’t touched it though.” She chuckled and nudged Jemma lightly, “Just drink it.  I’m sure it’s fine.  They probably have it enchanted anyway so nothing can happen to it.  It’s a magic school for heaven's sake!”

            Jemma finally gave in and took a few sips. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it actually was spiked. As the tuning of the instruments in the background died down, the dance floor and the crowd of people that would be watching them started to seem a whole lot bigger.

            “I think it’s time we go join Bobbi, Ward, and their dates.” She nudged Skye and pointed to the other two couples who were getting ready to dance. Ward had come with a Slytherin girl named Kara and Bobbi had brought a friend from Hufflepuff, Lance Hunter, but she didn’t look too happy about it.

            Skye swallowed a lump that had built up in her throat before she brushed off her suit and held her chin up.  “Looks like you’re right,” She turned to Jemma and smiled wide, holding her hand out, “Jemma Simmons, shall we go dance?”

            “Absolutely,” Jemma smiled and took Skye’s outstretched hand lightly. She only hoped Skye wasn’t kidding about the dance lessons and that she actually knew what she was doing. As the musicians picked up their instruments, they both walked onto the dance floor with the other two couples. She felt Skye’s hand on her waist, but Jemma kept her eyes on Skye’s face as she draped one arm over Skye’s shoulder and they clasped their free hands together off to the side.

            As the first few notes glided out across the room, Skye gave Jemma an assuring nod and Jemma felt her take the first few steps. They quickly fell into synchronization and Jemma was sure they looked great to anyone watching. Slowly, other couples filtered onto the floor and they no longer had to feel the stress of a million eyes on them.

            Skye had always been good at keeping time in her head, but she was lucky she still remembered how to waltz.  It hadn’t been one of her favorites, in fact, none of them had, but she was glad now that she knew what she was doing.  She would have to thank her mother at some point for sending her to those lessons.  The other couples around them put her nervousness at ease enough to stop counting long enough to lean a little closer to Jemma.

            “See, I told you I could dance,” She winked and pulled away, keeping a firm but gentle grip on the smaller girl's waist as she led them through the dance.

______________

           

            “Skye, I am sooooo glad we decided to come to this.” Jemma giggled, almost spilling what was left in her cup. She knew Trip had somehow managed to spike the punch, but she was way beyond caring at this point. She leaned into Skye, suddenly deciding that the drink was the last thing on her mind. Her lips went straight for the sensitive spot on Skye’s neck and grabbed the end of her tie, slowly wrapping the piece of cloth around her hand and pulling her girlfriend closer.

            They had been taking a break, but as soon as a new song started up and the beat echoed through the room, Jemma pulled away. The classical musicians had long since retired, and some peppier instrumentalists were playing.

            “This song sounds fun!” Jemma squealed, practically yelling so that Skye could hear her. She downed the last of her drink and slammed the cup onto the table, dragging the stunned brunette back out onto the dancefloor by the tie that was still wound up in her fist.

            _Thank god for you Trip,_ Skye staggered after Jemma, tie first.  She had had her own fair share of punch and was not at all regretting it.  The smaller girl had had quite a bit...but then again, that had been the plan.  Skye was very glad that she had come now, required or not, because _this_ was dancing that she could really do.  

             When Jemma finally stopped them in the midst of the mass of other couples who had flocked to the dancefloor in their own drunken and hazed haste, Skye didn’t waste any time.  She was in a haze of her own, and she rather enjoyed it.  Her hands found their way to Jemma’s hips among the mass of other grinding teenagers and pulled the girl flush against her.  The Great Hall was dark, apart from the flashing of colored lights brought by the second musical act and everyone else was equally occupied.

            The bass dropped and one of Skye’s legs made its way between Jemma’s in the process.  The Slytherin girl’s hands were helping to guide Jemma’s hips against her own before one got a little greedy and slid down a little further.  Skye gave the girl’s ass a needy squeeze.  Her face was flushed but no one was going to notice in the dark.  Everyone was much too busy doing the same things.

            The alcohol was making Jemma more than a little horny, and every touch from Skye made her even more eager. She clenched her jaw and moved back against her, bending her knees along with her girlfriend and moving her hips in a slow circular motion. Jemma pushed her hands back through her now loose hair to get it out of her slightly sweaty face and moved them downwards so that they were on top of Skye's hands on her hips, pressing down on them to let the brunette know that she was enjoying it. She was definitely too far gone to be even a little concerned about what anyone around them would think, so she threw her head back onto Skye's shoulder and let her breathing quicken until she was almost panting with excitement. She definitely couldn't wait to get to the attic now, she had a feeling the after party was going to be a lot more fun. She felt Skye's leg between her own and pushed against it, simultaneously moving one hand to the back of Skye's other thigh, gripping it tightly and pulling her even closer.

            Skye’s own breathing was picking up and she was biting her lip, hard, to keep herself from making any noises.  Not like they would be heard anyway, the music was much too loud for anyone to hear anything.  She quickly distracted herself.  With Jemma’s head back against her shoulder, her neck was exposed, and the Slytherin was not one to miss an opportunity when it was presented.  Her lips roughly found Jemma’s neck and pressed a sloppy kiss there, before her teeth grazed over it and bit.  She was simultaneously working Jemma’s hips down onto her leg, which was not helping her breathing at all.  It was ragged and hot against the smaller girl’s neck and Skye didn’t care if anyone was watching.  They wouldn’t be.

            One of Skye’s hands on Jemma’s hips slid from her girlfriend’s hand and worked its way up the girl's dress till it was pressed against her abdomen, pulling the smaller girl against her.  The brunette held her there, tightly, rocking into her from behind.  Skye didn’t know how long much longer the ball was going to go on for, but she did know that she couldn’t wait for it to be over.  Her lips found Jemma’s ear and she nipped at it before her heated breath moved over it, “ _we need to leave_.” It was quiet, but it was close enough that the girl would hear.  Of course the bite to her ear accented the urgency Skye was displaying as well as her hands which were starting to roam, despite her best efforts to contain herself.  Skye could tell Jemma was ready to leave too.

            Jemma moaned and she could feel her knees slowly giving out beneath her. They needed to get out of there, and they needed to go _now_. Her skin was flushed and hot and a tingling sensation was slowly pulsing through her body.

            "Of course, _darling_." She answered provocatively, spinning around in Skye's grasp and facing her. She grabbed a fistful of Skye's robes and yanked her closer, letting their mouths clash and heat transfer between them as they backed out of the great hall. The first dance was over, they weren't needed here anymore and no one would miss them. Jemma bit Skye's bottom lip and giggled when she almost tripped over a step, but Skye grabbed her waist firmly and pulled her back up. They stumbled all the way to the library in the darkness, unable to keep their hands and lips off of each other for a second.

            It took a few slurred tries to open their secret door but once Skye finally focused enough to get it right, the door appeared and she quickly opened it, shoving Jemma back against the ladder in the process.  The doors squeaked shut and disappeared but the brunette was much too busy to notice.  Her hands were on either side of Jemma’s head, keeping her in place as Skye pressed her body up hard against Jemma’s.  She planted another rough kiss on her throat, biting lightly and sucking hard enough to leave a mark.  They needed to get up the ladder, but that was something easier said than done.  Skye’s hands were on her girlfriend’s hips again, gripping roughly before she whirled her tipsy self around to face the ladder, lifting with her arms to give her a boost up.

            “Go, go, _go_ ,” Her voice was husky and thick with urgency.  She kept the Ravenclaw from sliding back down the ladder and pushed her up till she was fully in the attic.  Skye scaled the rest of the rungs easily enough and heaved herself out and up from the floor, shutting the trap door with a thud.  The champion ripped her overcoat off and tossed it onto the floor before her hands were on Jemma again, shoving her back onto the couch.  That dress needed to come off.  It needed to come off _now_.

            With Skye on top of her on the couch, the desperate need grew even stronger. Jemma fumbled with the Slytherin's tie before finally managing to unknot it and yank it free. She could hardly function when Skye was biting and sucking at her skin like that, but she managed to focus just enough to start undoing buttons on Skye's vest, and then her shirt. Why the girl had to wear so many layers, Jemma wasn't sure, but she wasn't a big fan of her girlfriend's dress robes now. As she undid the last of the buttons, she pulled one of her feet closer to her body, pressing her leg up in between Skye's and rubbing against her. She pushed Skye's clothes over her shoulders and the taller girl leaned back for just long enough to hastily fling them away onto the floor.

            Skye tried to bring her lips back against Jemma's throat, but Jemma pushed her away and let her own lips wander over Skye's skin, teasing her with light kisses across the girl's collarbone. Jemma was very skilled with her hands, it was something Skye told her often, and she used this talent to reach around Skye's back and unclip her bra while also unzipping the girl's pants with the other. Their need was steadily growing stronger and Jemma didn't think she could stand another second of it. Her slow, sensual kisses gradually turned into needy, aggressive biting as she reached Skye's pulse point. With Jemma's help, Skye's pants were soon sliding down over her hips and Skye was kicking them off along with her shoes.

             Skye let Jemma undress her.  She was effective, which the girl appreciated as she didn’t think she could waste another second.  She bit her lip, throwing her head back and letting out a low moan as Jemma’s leg moved up between her own.  Her pants were already on the floor by the couch and the brunette was rocking her body against her girlfriend’s leg quite desperately.  With Jemma attacking her neck like she was, Skye couldn’t focus.  All she could do was pant and shiver in the cold attic air.

            There was a break in the kissing, when Skye felt Jemma move to her jawline, before she regained some clarity.  Her strong arms quickly grabbed at Jemma’s shoulders and forced her back down.  “ _Stay_ ,” it was an order.  Shivering some, Skye’s hands made quick work of the buckles on the smaller girl’s heels and flung them away.  She gripped her ankles tightly and then proceeded to run her hands up along Jemma’s legs, gathering the dress higher and higher till it was bunched up at her waist.  Skye’s hands held firm on Jemma’s hips and then quickly pulled Jemma closer until Skye was between her legs, leaning over her.

            She crushed their mouths together in a hungry kiss, her hips moving excitedly while she fumbled with the clasp of the dress’ collar at the back of Jemma’s neck.  It was taking too long, and Skye was growing impatient, as she was already undressed.  The only thing between them was their underwear and this damned blue dress.   _Fuck this stupid thi_ —There was a ripping sound and suddenly the collar was loose.  Skye’s hands were flying up Jemma’s waist, dragging the dress up and over her head.  The Slytherin girl threw the bunch of material far, _far_ away from the couch.

            Skye didn’t hesitate and she quickly laid on top of Jemma, pressing their naked bodies against one another as one of Skye’s hands found its way into light brown locks.  She fisted it, pulling back to expose Jemma’s neck, which she bit again with fervor.  Her other hand scratched down along Jemma’s side and rested at her hip with a firm grip.  She had maneuvered herself so that one of her legs was now between the smaller girl's, her knee pressed hard right up against the girl’s fancy lace underwear.

            Jemma understood immediately that Skye was in one of her aggressive moods tonight, and there wasn't much she was going to be able to do about it other than lay back and enjoy. Cold air hit her body as her dress was suddenly removed, and she shivered as it was quickly countered by Skye's warm hands and body pressed up against hers. They were getting closer, and they both knew it. Jemma bucked underneath Skye and let out short gasps as she began to feel overwhelmed. She was shaking now, tilting her head to the side to allow the brunette even easier access to her neck. She was embarrassingly wet against Skye's thigh, and she couldn't wait any longer.

            "Stop _teasing_ ," Jemma had meant for it to come out with a little more force, but it sounded more like a whimpered plead. While her neck and hips were clearly occupied, Jemma's hands were free. In hopes of urging Skye forward, she slipped one of her hands just under the edge of Skye's underwear, pushing it back over one of her hips and gripping her ass comfortably. With the other, she grazed Skye's side lightly with her nails as she brought her hand up to cup one of her breasts. The only skin her mouth had access to was Skye's shoulder, so she kissed it with the same urgency the girl had with her, sucking and nipping and tasting as much of her skin as possible.

             Skye wasn’t about to deny her.  With Jemma’s hand gripping her ass, Skye let out a sound almost akin to a growl, followed by a sharp intake of breath and an “ _oh fuck_.”  Her hips were lightly thrusting in anticipation and she moaned loudly, no longer censoring herself, when she felt Jemma’s hand on her chest.  She could feel the heat from Jemma’s core on her knee, and she forced herself to stop moving.  She straightened out, shaking off the smaller girl’s kisses before she sat up and pushed Jemma’s legs back.

            With a sly grin, she reached to the girl’s sides, looped her fingers in her panties, and began to slide them off, painfully slow.  Teasing was one of her favorite parts, and though she was actually in a hurry, Jemma pleading with her not to only made Skye want to do it more.  She received a sharp look, and finally she jerked Jemma’s underwear off.  Jemma normally got what Jemma wanted.

            Skye was back on her in a moment, pressing their bodies together as she kissed the smaller girl roughly on the lips, swiping her tongue over Jemma’s lips.  She bit, and when the girl opened her mouth, Skye’s tongue slid in and tangled itself with Jemma’s.  The Slytherin took the girl's thighs roughly and spread them open, running her tongue down her girlfriend’s cheek and to her jawline, where she nipped.  She sucked at Jemma’s neck while one of her hands made it to Jemma’s sides and gripped hard in earnest.  The other raked lower across Jemma’s abdomen, and lower still between her legs.

            The brunette moaned into the smaller girl’s mouth, grinning wide as she did so while her fingers ventured through the girl’s wet folds rather slowly, enjoying it, and teasing.  Skye’s ragged breath was at her ear again, “you’re so _wet._ Someone is _excited_ …”  She could just hear Jemma’s frustration with her, so she quickly rectified things.  Skye kissed Jemma’s cheek before trailing more kisses down her neck, around her collarbone and finally to her breasts.  Skye kissed lightly at first, but then she took a pale pink nipple into her mouth and sucked, hard.  When she felt Jemma arch into her she quickly retaliated by slipping two soaking wet fingers into her girlfriend’s core.  The brunette started to pump slowly, before she began to move faster, growing impatient and wanting more of Jemma, all of her at once.  Skye’s hips rocked with the movement, using her own thigh pressed against her hand for more leverage.  Her thumb began to circle the girl's clit and she couldn’t help herself, “is this what you want, Jems?  You like it _rough_ like this?”

            Jemma trembled as the intense wave of sensations slammed into her body like a moving freight train, completely running her over and leaving her helplessly immobilized. She couldn't help it, Skye's fingers were so deep inside her and her thumb on her clit was too overwhelming, she let out a short-lived scream. Jemma was definitely glad the other girl had insisted on putting a soundproof charm on the room along with the hidden door enchantment, or else the library below would be a terrible place for a person to study.

            "Sk-Skye," She whined, fisting Skye's hair in her hands and encouraging her to continue whatever ungodly thing the girl was doing to her breasts. She didn't have to say it aloud for the brunette to know that she very much liked it rough. When she felt Skye's fingers push into her again, she cried out and thrust into her girlfriend's hand, making her job even easier. It wasn't hard for Skye to make her orgasm, especially when both of them were so intoxicated. It wasn't unknown to the Slytherin that she was close to coming.

            When she felt another harsh nip on her chest, Jemma bit her own lip and held back another scream of pleasure. She was acutely aware of Skye's free hand steadily making progress up her body until it was over the breast she wasn't already attacking, palming it and pinching her already hardened nipple.

            With one more thrust from Skye's fingers and a perfectly timed press against her clit, Jemma came hard and fast, yelling Skye's name one more time as she was swept up in the intense feeling. The waves crashed against her insides and Jemma rode out the last of her orgasm, quickly falling apart and becoming putty in the taller girl's hands. Her heart pounded in her ears and she could still feel the tingling sensation between her legs.

            " _Bloody hell_ ," Jemma muttered.

Skye smiled slyly to herself, biting her own lip as she lessened her rough grip on Jemma.  The smaller girl would find nail marks down her side and she slipped her other hand out painfully slow.  She very much liked it when Jemma made noise.  It was one of her favorite things because it was so rare she could get the girl to just let go.  The punch had helped.  She would need to thank Trip later.

            The brunette gave one last hungry kiss to Jemma’s chest and moved her lips up along the neck of the breathless girl till she collided their lips again.  “Yes, you _do_ like it rough,” Skye giggled and kissed her again, slowly pressing her body down against Jemma’s just a little more.  She was slowly rubbing her body up and down over her girlfriend’s, trying to keep the need going.  Jemma might be done, but Skye certainly wasn’t.

            “ _I want some too_ …”

 


	12. Holiday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, there's more smut. not sorry

Skye was wide awake.  Her curtains kept out most of the morning light, but she could see splotches of darkness crossing the window.  It was snowing.  It had been since they had arrived to her mother’s house out in the middle of nowhere.  Her mother liked to live close to the earth and away from other people.  It helped her focus on her work, which was potions.  It also caused for quite the boring summer, especially if Jemma wasn't with her.

            The brunette had been the big spoon during the night and although she loved how well Jemma was tucked in against her, under the infinite layers of blankets all snuggled and warm, it was Christmas morning, and Skye was very eager to open presents and have fun in the snow.  She had gotten Jemma something very clever, a couple things actually and she couldn’t wait to give them to her.  She was, of course, also very eager to see what Jemma had gotten her.  The girl had managed to keep it a secret this year.  Every other year Skye had been very, _very_ persuasive in getting the girl to spill the surprise.

            “Jemma,” The Slytherin girl whispered, lightly taking her hand and shaking the girl's shoulder.  Nothing.  Her girlfriend must really have been tired.  She had been such a deep sleeper since winter break had started.  All the school work and worrying about Skye during the tournament must have been taking its toll.  Skye slowly moved her hand to Jemma’s neck, pulling back the light brown locks, leaning up, and planting many kisses there.

            “Jems...wake up,” Her hand was on the girl's thigh, shaking lightly again.  Still no answer.  Skye’s brow furrowed as she tried to think of a nice but quick way to get her girlfriend up.  She grinned wickedly when she did.

            “ _Jemma_ ,” the girl’s hot breath was on Jemma’s ear just before she nipped at it with a giggle, her hand on the girl’s thigh gipping hard as she rubbed herself up against her girlfriend.

            “Jemma _get up_!  I want to open presents!”

            Skye’s method was effective in waking the smaller girl, but didn’t make her want to actually get up.

            “Hush,” Jemma whispered, still with closed eyes and slurred words. She blindly reached behind her with one hand and it landed on Skye’s face. She nudged her away gently and tried snuggling back into the blankets. She was tired, she she didn’t feel like getting up, even if it was Christmas. Sleeping in another hour wouldn’t kill anyone.

            “Go back to sleep,” She begged, pulling the covers over her head and throwing herself back into complete darkness. She didn’t want to leave her warm cocoon in Skye’s bed just yet.

            Skye frowned.  Obviously her girlfriend needed a little more convincing before getting out of bed.  “Jemma, _please?_ ” She stressed, ignoring being pushed away and snuggling deeper into the blankets with her girlfriend.  She pulled the blanket off of Jemma’s head and her lips found their way back to her neck, kissing lightly first, but then biting as the girl still didn’t move.

            “Presents, Jems.  Let’s go open them.  Please, please, please?” The brunette’s hand found its way up and under Jemma’s sleeping shirt, which was Skye’s old Star Wars shirt, and began to lightly trace over her girlfriend’s stomach.  This steadily grew until it turned into tickling and suddenly the Slytherin girl was straddling Jemma and tickling her sides.

            “Get up!! Get up!! It’s Christmas!  It’s time for presents, Jemma!! Get up!!!”

            “Skye, cut it out!” Jemma yelped, but she was laughing. She squirmed underneath her girlfriend until she finally caught the other girl’s wrists. She sat up quickly, throwing Skye off balance and knocking her onto her back so that Jemma could pin her down.

            “I’m up,” She laughed, leaning over and kissing Skye lightly before moving away from the bed. She would never admit it to the brunette, but she liked watching her when she was acting so childish. It reminded her of the first year, twelve-year-old versions of themselves.

            Jemma staggered over to the dresser, trying to ignore how cold the floor was on her bare feet, and grabbed one of the hair ties strewn about. She pulled her hair up into a sloppy ponytail and dug around for a pair of sweatpants to throw on so her legs wouldn’t freeze when they went downstairs. It wasn’t likely that Skye’s mother would be up yet, so they’d have to go start a fire to warm up the lower part of the house.

            “I’ll go start some tea,” the shorter girl informed her girlfriend, who was still lying on the bed watching her, despite her earlier insistence about getting up.

            “Make sure it’s tea you’re grabbing and not something mom left in the cabinet that is meant for one of her potions.  We’ll be turned into rats instead of getting warm by the fire,” Skye grinned, blowing Jemma a kiss before the woman left the room.  She sighed to herself then and untangled herself from the sheets.  Now, with no blankets to keep her warm, her tank and sophie shorts didn’t do a lot to keep her that way.  The house was freezing.  Another reason why she hated living in the middle of nowhere.  Her mother had enchanted the house to allow some muggle technologies to work, but not all of them.  TV was a special thing, and since it was Christmas, Skye knew they would get to watch it during break.  Her mom did love the muggle holiday movies.

            She threw on an old sweater and some knee high socks, putting the hood up on the hoodie so she wouldn’t have to bother with her hair and left her room, walking down the crooked spiral staircase till she came down into the kitchen.  She stealthily slipped up behind Jemma, who was starting the water, and slipped her arms around the girl’s waist.  Skye gave the back of her head a kiss as she grinned, “That _is_ tea right?”

            Jemma sighed and leaned back into her girlfriend, she was definitely warmer than the air around them and she welcomed the heat.

            “ _Skye_ ,” Jemma laughed. “You think I wouldn’t know the difference between my herbs?” She asked jokingly. She would never make a mistake as silly as mistaking potion ingredients for tea leaves. Once the water was set to boil, she turned around, remaining in Skye’s arms, and wrapped her own arms around the other girl’s waist.

            “Merry Christmas.” She whispered as she nuzzled her face into Skye’s neck and held her close. Soon, Jiaying would wake up and they could start doing all of their holiday traditions, like opening gifts together and watching _Miracle on 34th Street_ before heading outside to enjoy the snow that usually blanketed the ground.

            “Mmm, Merry Christmas to you too,” Skye smiled and nuzzled her face against Jemma’s, holding her tightly.  She was glad that they got to alternate breaks and summers with each other.  Having to be apart for so long would kill her inside, although Skye wouldn’t come out and say it like that.  She enjoyed the arrangement their two families had.  None seemed to mind and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

            Skye was eager to open presents and go outside to have fun in the snow, but they couldn’t do any of that until her mother woke up, and since she was still asleep, the Slytherin decided to take advantage.

            “So...what did you get me?” She maneuvered her head down to Jemma’s neck and started kissing her again.  Having Jemma to herself all the time over breaks made her quite a bit more needy than usual, but it was all for fun.  She just liked to see the blush pop up on the Ravenclaw’s face.

            “Something good?  You can tell me…” Skye’s fingers tickled at Jemma’s sides before her grip grew firm, “I’ll act surprised, I promise.”  
            “No hanky panky in my kitchen.  I have delicate potion ingredients that don’t need your writhing teenage juices all over them.  Save that for upstairs,” Jiaying was behind them, hands on her hips and in her morning robes, looking rather smirky at them as she leaned against one of the many beams that kept the house up.

            “ _Mom_ we aren’t doing anything, oh my god…” Skye let go of Jemma, a frown on her face and her nose turning pink as she turned around to face the woman.  “She’s making tea for Christ's sake.”

            “Then why is your face as red as the fire?”

            Skye snorted, face scrunching up before she crossed her arms and marched herself past her mother and into the small livingroom, plopping down onto the couch in a pouting fit.

            Jemma giggled at Skye’s reaction to her mother’s comment and went back to the stove to fetch the water, which had starting boiling. Jiaying always made the most blatant statements and she enjoyed how embarrassed Skye got. It seemed her mother was the only one who could actually make her so red-faced. Usually it was Jemma that was being teased for her blush, so it was fun to have it the other way around.

            The Ravenclaw girl made three mugs of tea, handing one to Skye’s mother and carrying two into the living room for Skye and herself. As soon as Jemma finally got comfortable, however, her girlfriend got back up, reaching for the first few gifts under the tree. Skye was nothing if not impatient.

            Jiaying slowly made her way to the living room, holding her cup of tea lightly and watching the two girls with a small smile.  She took a seat in an old, but elegantly crafted wooden rocking chair by the fire.  Across from her in the corner of the small room was a tall tree, too tall for the house, as the top was bent against the ceiling.  It was mildly decorated with some string of popcorn, candycanes and a couple of ornaments, and few presents were under it.  They weren’t exactly a well to do family, despite having pure blood.

            “This one is for you!” Skye quickly found two wrapped boxes and handed them off to Jemma.  She dug under the tree some more and found one for herself, a larger wrapped box and put it aside.  She pulled out two more, one for Jemma and one for her mother.

            “This one is yours too. It’s from mom,” She handed the large, awkwardly wrapped and very heavy package to her girlfriend.  “And this one is yours, mom,” Skye heaved out from behind the tree a very large pewter set of three cauldrons with a bow on top.  “I couldn’t wrap it, Im sorry...but I know you needed a new set.  Yours is getting rusty. You can use these for work and use the old ones for at home,” Skye smiled and set the heavy gift down in the floor in front of her mother.

            Jiaying had a wide, kind smile on her face before she leaned up and gave her girl a kiss on the forehead.  “Such a sweet daughter I have.  Now you two girls go on and open yours.”

            Skye turned her attention to Jemma, as she sat back down on the couch with her single gift. She wasn’t disappointed.  Her mother didn’t make a lot of extra money and Skye wasn’t exactly able to since she was in school.  Skye was happy just having the two people she loved most in the same place for the holidays.  It was normally present enough.

            “Go on Jems, open it!”

            Jemma picked up the smallest of the packages, and judging by the look on Skye’s face, it was from her. She was definitely excited, so Jemma made sure to open it as slowly as possible, finally getting revenge for the other girl’s teasing the night after the ball. The brunette was practically bouncing in her seat with a big smile on her face as Jemma unwrapped the gift. It was like Skye somehow reverted back into a child for Christmas. She gave the girl one last glance before finally ripping the paper away. A huge grin stretched across her face and she lunged at Skye, wrapping her arms around the girl’s neck and squeezing tightly.

            “Thank you, Skye, this will make taking all those classes so much easier.” She beamed, picking up the quick notes quill. Never again would she have to shake out her hand after hours and hours of taking notes during class. Jemma pressed a sloppy kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek before finally letting go.

            “You’re welcome!” Skye grinned wide and hugged the girl back tightly, laughing at the kiss before she pushed Jemma back, “you’ve got another one! Open it, open it!!”

            Jemma couldn’t help but smile at Skye’s enthusiasm. She thought it was sweet how the girl got more excited to give other people gifts than to receive them herself.

            “Alright, calm down.” She giggled, reaching for the other gift Skye pointed at, indicating that it was from her. It was a little more oddly shaped, so she had to hand her mug of tea to Skye so that she could use both her hands to unwrap whatever the object was. She didn’t want to be mean, so she didn’t tease the brunette this time and just opened the present. She knew exactly what it was the second she saw it, she’d been wanting to get one for a while now. It was a pair of omnioculars, Jemma was finally going to be able to see what was going on during quidditch matches when the players weren’t near her. They weren’t new, Skye had probably found the pair second hand, but they were expensive, and Jemma was grateful all the same.

            “Thank you, I love it.” She smiled and placed her hand on Skye’s thigh. When she remembered that Skye still hadn’t opened her gift, however, her face lit up and she took her mug as well as Skye’s.

            “It’s your turn.” Jemma nodded towards the box with her name on it. She’d planned ahead with Jiaying and they’d both pitched in to get her a present they knew she would love.

            Skye was beaming, very glad to see that Jemma enjoyed both of her gifts.  She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to the very large, thin box on her own lap.  Her brow scrunched up as she tried to think of what it could be.  She hadn’t really asked for anything this year, other than a broom, but she knew that that would be much too expensive to get.  None of them had that much money.  It had been more of her staple really.  Skye always asked for a broom.

            She did not take her time, and, like a child, ripped through the paper like candy until the black lid of the box was exposed.  She took her hands and gently lifted the lid off and set it aside on the floor.  She folded out the thin layer of paper inside and her mouth dropped.  Skye’s hands flew to her face.

            “Oh,” She couldn’t finish, her hands were in the box pulling out the wooden glass frame, and inside, a worn green and golden quidditch jersey.

            “Holy shit!! Jemma!!”

            The jersey was the green and gold of the Holyhead Harpies, the gold talon on the chest of the shirt and in the center there was a fancy looking signature.  “Does...Does that say Ginerva Weasley?!  Is this Ginny Weasley’s Holyhead Harpies jersey?!” Skye was almost screaming.  Her face was red with excitement and she pulled the frame closer to examine it.

            “It does!  This is Ginny Weasley’s jersey!!  She signed it!  It’s in my hands!  Holy fuck!  Oh my god,” It was clear she couldn’t contain herself, as now she was up off the couch and bouncing around, holding the frame away from her, still looking at it.  The Holyhead Harpies were her favorite quidditch team of all time.  She wanted to play professionally for them one day, as a beater, and as such an avid fan, kept up with all their news.  Her room was actually plastered with articles and posters of the team.  It took her a moment to calm down, but when she did, she finally took notice of other details.  The style of the jersey.

            Skye turned to look at Jemma and her mother, mouth agape.  Jiaying was smiling, sipping at her tea, rather pleased with herself.  “This is the 2000 jersey.  This jersey is Ginny Weasley’s original jersey.  This jersey has seen the World Cup…”  Skye set the frame down against the wall before she dropped in in her excited state, and she launched herself at Jemma on the couch.  Her arms wrapped tightly around the girl.

            “Oh my god, Jemma! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”

            Jiaying was softly chuckling at them now, setting her tea mug down on the small coffee table beside the chair.  “Skye!  Don’t make her spill the tea on my sofa!  We can’t afford to clean it!” She chided, but the woman was very happy that her daughter was so happy with her gift.  She couldn’t afford the broom she wanted, but when she had brought the idea to Jemma the girl had been more than happy to share the present with her.

            Jemma held her mug high above her head, laughing and trying to prevent it from spilling until Jiaying finally rushed over and relieved her of the task, taking the mug and placing it on the coffee table where its contents couldn’t do any damage. It was definitely worth the money she’d spent to see the look on Skye’s face.

            “Anything for you,” Jemma chuckled and pressed a few kisses to Skye’s face before she finally calmed down. She sunk into the couch cushions next to Jemma and the shorter girl snuggled into her side. There was one gift left, and it was the odd heavy one from Jiaying to Jemma. The Ravenclaw thanked her as the older woman handed it to her. Jiaying was basically her second mother, as well as her role model. Jemma could only dream about being as good of a potions master as Skye’s mother.

            Jemma ripped the paper away, and she felt the same excitement Skye had. Jiaying had given her a stack of books, potions books, filled with instructions for complicated brews and many other things she was interested to read about.

            “Thank you so much.” Jemma smiled, already opening the cover and skimming through the table of contents of the first book. She couldn’t wait to settle down and read them from cover to cover. Jiaying gave her a kind smile and watched with pride as the girl already began to read.

            “Woah, hey there book worm, slow down,” Skye reached over with a hand and shut the book, grinning at Jemma’s unamused face before she kissed it off.  “We have other fun Christmas festivities to get through before you can seclude yourself in the library and read all of those!”  

            The brunette turned to her mother then, who had just finished her tea and was getting up to get more.  “Is it…?”

            Jiaying smiled and nodded, “Yep.  Get in here and start cooking, kid.”

            “Christmas pancakes!!” Skye gave Jemma another quick kiss and shot off the couch and pranced back into the kitchen and was already reaching up into the cabinets to get ingredients out to start making their traditional holiday breakfast.

            Jemma sighed and settled back into the couch, staying to finish her tea. She was incredible at potions, but she couldn’t cook a thing to save her life, so Skye and Jiaying usually handled the pancakes on their own.

_____________

 

            “Skye, I surrender! You win!” Jemma called out, but she didn’t receive an answer. She was still hiding behind a tree from the onslaught of snowballs the girl had sent flying at her. It would have been smart to have asked Trip about that enchanted snowball spell before they had gone home for break. Skye had used it against her in Hogsmeade the previous year and she didn’t think it was an important enough spell to learn, but now that thought was coming back to bite her in the ass. Jemma sniffled and shivered a bit, sure now that she was going to be getting a cold, as she did every year.

            “Skye?” She called again, leaning around the trunk, only to get clobbered in the shoulder by another snowball that had been waiting to fire itself at her the moment she was visible.

            “This isn’t funny, it’s cold out here!” Jemma called out. She couldn’t move from behind the tree without getting attacked by small balls of frozen water, but she was freezing. She was starting to consider making a run for the house and risking being hit by more of the charmed snowballs.

            Between being freezing cold, her own teeth chattering, and the onslaught of snowballs ready to strike at any moment, Jemma hadn’t heard Skye sneaking up on her, despite the crunching of the snow.  “Ha!!” The brunette had her arms around her girlfriend in a sudden surprise attack, grinning wide.  Her plan had worked.

            “I accept your surrender,” Skye asked, whirling her around.  She gave a quick kiss to her forehead and shoved her wand back into her sweater.  “My terms are as follows,” Jemma was up against the tree in a second and the Slytherin girl was kissing her needily.  When she pulled away her face was red from the cold but still grinning, although now it was a bit more sinister than before, “Do you agree to terms?”  Her eyebrow rose in question, the way Jemma liked as she hugged the smaller girl’s cold little body.

            “I don’t know, what do I get out of this arrangement?” Jemma asked, pulling out of Skye’s arms and brushing some snow out of the brunette’s hair. Skye opened her mouth to say something, but her words were lost as she was cut off. Jemma’s lips were on hers in an instant, and both girls welcomed the sudden heat on their numbing faces. The smaller girl could feel Skye slowly loosening up, so she shoved her onto her back in the powdery snow. Jemma threw her leg over Skye’s stomach, straddling her, and kissed along her jaw,  nipping every few inches. Just when Skye was completely relaxed, Jemma’s lips pulled into a smirk and she grabbed some snow from nearby, pressing it against her girlfriend’s face and even shoving some down the front of her shirt. This would definitely feel a lot colder than a few snowballs.

            Jemma laughed and jumped off the girl, hopping a few steps backwards. Skye’s arms missed her, and she took off running before the other girl could do anything to her.

            “Oh my _god!_ ” Skye spat out the snow and sat up, blindly reaching for Jemma, but she was already running back through the tree line and into the field towards the house.  “Damnit, Jemma!” Skye shot up, brushing off her face and darting after the girl.  Her chest and neck were freezing, the snow melting through into a wet spot on her sweatshirt.  She had a wicked grin on her face and as she shot out from the trees Skye whipped her wand out.

            “ _Implexa pede!!_ ”  The hex shot from her wand in a rope of light and tangled itself around Jemma’s feet, causing her to fall face first into the snow.  Skye laughed loudly as she jogged happily the rest of the way to where Jemma had fallen.

            Jemma shook her head and brushed snow off of her already numb face, quickly realizing that she was on the ground.

            “You’re cheating!” She laughed, rolling over onto her back as Skye caught up. “I haven’t used any magic.” She stuck out her tongue playfully. She tried to stand up, but her girlfriend caught her in a bear hug and send them tumbling back into the white blanket that covered the field. Jemma could already feel the snow beginning to soak through her clothes and she shivered, somehow managing to also keep Skye on the ground with her, pushing snow at her face whenever she got the chance.

            “You used the magic of your witchery seduction!!” Skye shouted, trying to shield her face from snow with one hand and shove snow into Jemma’s face at the same time.  She was freezing cold and her clothes were getting soaked as the snow melted from their body heat, but she was not going to give up.  Her superior strength won out though and she managed to flip them over, shoving Jemma into the snow.

            “I get the shower first if I beat you to the house!” Skye shoved a last handful of snow into Jemma’s face, and then an extra scoop into her pants and she ran away laughing, making a beeline for the house.

            Jemma squealed because of the snow shoved into her clothes, but she was in no rush to beat Skye back to the house. She could let her have this one, especially since she wasn’t actually losing anything. She could slip into the shower with Skye if she wanted to, she did have the power of witchery seduction, after all.

______________

 

            Jemma and Skye walked upstairs hand in hand with smiles on their faces. It had been another wonderful Christmas dinner, just like every year. They were supposed to be heading up to bed, and Jemma caught Skye yawning a little bit, but she wasn't going to let the other girl get tired just yet. She had slipped into the shower with the brunette like she'd wanted to, but just as the sex was getting good, Jiaying called them down for dinner. Her pent up sexual energy had been simmering inside of her the whole hour and a half they spent eating and talking, and Skye didn't even seem to notice. Jemma thought it was odd how Skye didn't mind that they hadn't gotten to finish what they'd started, or at least she didn't seem too agitated. The Ravenclaw was quite the opposite, if she got worked up, she wouldn't be satisfied until she got what she wanted.

            When they entered Skye's bedroom, Jemma dropped the innocent facade she'd been holding up for Jiaying's sake and dropped her girlfriend's hand, instantly pulling her own sweater over her head and throwing it on the floor.

            " _Finally_ ," She groaned, gripping at the thick material of the hoodie at Skye's waist and roughly pulling her closer. She moved one hand into long, still slightly damp hair and pulled her girlfriend closer so that she could plant a hungry kiss on her lips. She was starving, but it wasn't the kind that would have been satisfied by the large dinner.

            Jemma couldn't get them to the bed fast enough. Her hands moved to slide under the taller girl's sweatshirt, gripping at her waist and even toying with the edge of her bra. She pushed the surprised Slytherin backwards until her calves hit the edge of the bed and they fell onto the mattress.

            Like a predator, Jemma went straight for the throat, skipping her usual gentle phase and sucking a spot on Skye's neck, intentionally trying to leave a mark. She knew the other girl loved having them, she almost took pride in them. She was definitely going to be lucky tonight then, because Jemma was in one of her moods. She wanted Skye and she wanted to take her _right here, right now._

            Skye had been ill prepared to say the least.  She was a little drowsy and was heading up to bed with her girlfriend, who she assumed was also tired.  They had done a lot today, like play lots in the snow and open presents and cook a large meal and watch movies.  Skye was tired, but it did not look like she would be sleeping anytime soon.  She was falling back onto the bed before she could even realize what was happening.

            Jemma’s mouth, roughly on her neck, caught her off guard and she let out an accidental moan as a bright purple mark appeared on her throat.  This was unlike Jemma and it took the Slytherin girl a moment to realize what was happening.  Their time in the shower had been intoxicating, albeit brief.  She had been peeved for a few minutes at having to be called down to dinner before finishing, but she had calmed herself back down pretty fast.  She thought Jemma had too.  Exploits forgotten, she had enjoyed dinner and found time to grow tired from the day.  Jemma apparently had not.  Her rare unicorn had returned to her, and she had been caught unawares.  

            "Off, _now_." Jemma ordered, breaking the kiss against Skye's throat to pull the girl's sweatshirt over her head. The brunette sat up eagerly, letting the smaller girl slip the material over her head and go straight for her bra. Jemma was experienced, it only took one quick movement from her hand to get the job done. The small piece of clothing loosened around Skye's chest, and Jemma placed a few short kisses to the top of her breasts before she continued undressing her.

            Without even moving to the center of the bed, Jemma reached for her girlfriend's pants, yanking them down along with the girl's underwear. She was too impatient to take it slow and go one layer at a time. Her hips slowly started grinding against Skye's abdomen in anticipation. She forced herself to stop, but only for a moment. She lifted her body off of Skye's and stood up, shimmying her own sweatpants and underwear down to her legs until they were gathered around her ankles. She kicked them off and smirked when she saw Skye staring.

            Jemma fell back onto her girlfriend on the bed and ripped away the loose bra, quickly taking a nipple between her teeth and nipping sharply before countering the action by letting her tongue swirl around Skye's quickly hardening bud.

            “Oh, _fuck_.”

Her nails scratched down Skye's sides and she stopped at the tops of her thighs, gripping them roughly and teasing her by circling her clit with one thumb. The brunette's gasp only encouraged her to continue, but now that she had Skye hooked, she could do whatever she wanted. She crawled over Skye's side into the middle of the bed, throwing back the blankets and sliding underneath them.

            "Come," She said urgently, completely intending the double entendre. Sure, she wanted to fuck Skye right there, but their legs had still been hanging over the edge of the bed and without their clothes on, the room felt a lot colder.

            Skye’s breath was quickening, her chest heaving up and down from Jemma’s work on her body and soft gasps were already starting to flood from her mouth before all of it was gone.  The Ravenclaw was off of her and suddenly Skye was cold, the heat from her girlfriend’s body missed, but the girl had started another between her legs.  Skye could feel that she was already wet with desire, thanks to Jemma’s quick work of her, and she was more than eager to let it continue.

            She scrambled about, quickly stealing away under the blankets and moved swiftly to press her naked body flush against Jemma’s.  Skye’s hands grabbed for her face, her eyes alight with eagerness, and crushed her mouth against hers, not waiting for the smaller girl to give permission before her tongue was forcing its way into Jemma’s mouth.  One of her legs wrapped around Jemma’s, using it to pull her closer before her hands found their way to the girl’s ass and gripped hard enough to leave imprints of her nails.  Jemma had made her a needy mess and a needy Skye was an impatient Skye.

            “ _Jemma, please…”_

            Jemma grinned, enjoying that she had so much power over the other girl. Skye's hands on her ass made a shiver run up her spine and she pressed her hips into the taller girl's.

            " _Do you want it?_ " She muttered into Skye's mouth between rough kisses. Their lips were already becoming swollen, but neither of them were about to stop. Jemma fully intended on making the other girl beg for it. She loved this desperate side of Skye, it contrasted from her normal dominant personality.

            Slowly, she trailed her hand down Skye's stomach and slipped her fingers through her folds, which were dripping with excited fluids. She pressed her thumb against the brunette's clit and waited for the desired response.

            Skye bit her lip, arching into Jemma’s touch to try and relieve the need growing between her legs, but it did little to increase the pressure where she wanted it.  The girl nodded her answer and groaned in frustration when her girlfriend still would not continue.  This Jemma was not like the usual Jemma.  This Jemma wanted to _hear_ it.

            Her hands moved up to the smaller girl’s shoulders and grasped tightly.  She bit her lip harder before she caved.  “Fuck, I want _you._ Please, Jemma?” Skye’s face was pleading and her breath coming in short frustrated gasps.  Her hips were still moving against her, trying to get some friction which the other girl wouldn’t allow.

            Jemma was satisfied with Skye's plead, and she couldn't wait much longer herself, so she finally pushed one of her fingers into the eager girl, sliding in another when Skye moaned. They were still lying on their sides facing each other, and the position didn't give Jemma much leverage. To fix the problem, she slid her leg over Skye's body and rolled the other girl onto her back as she settled onto one of Skye's legs.  Once they got comfortable, she slowly pulled out her fingers only to thrust them back into the girl beneath her.

            She felt Skye's hands on her waist, but she wanted to have complete and utter control over the situation, so she gathered both of Skye's wrists in her free hand and pinned them above her head on the pillows. This left most of Skye's upper body exposed, and Jemma took advantage of it. She backed off on the biting and instead used her tongue to press wet, sloppy kisses across the girl's collarbone and slowly downwards. She could feel Skye's heart pounding against her lips and continued her slow descent until her tongue was trailing patterns in the valley between Skye's breasts.

            Jemma's core was pressed against Skye's right thigh and she knew the other girl could feel how turned on she was by the slickness between her legs. Jemma could feel Skye arching into her, so to push her over the edge, she suddenly pressed her own knee against the back of her hand to add extra pressure and rubbed over Skye's clit with more force. Her mouth targeted the nipple that she hadn't given attention to earlier, and she knew her job was almost through. Both of their breathing patterns were erotic and labored as Skye grew closer to her climax.

            “S-so close…”

            Skye was both thrusting her hips to meet Jemma’s hand as well as using her own hands on the girl’s hips to help her ride on her thigh.  Her mouth was open, head thrown back, moaning Jemma’s name while her back began to arch.  She could feel it.  Just a little more.  She felt a familiar tension tighten in her abdomen, about to explode, and Skye grabbed her girlfriend’s hips tighter.  Almost there.

            “I made some of my special hot cocoa for you girls.  Do you want to watch The Christmas Sto-“

            Skye hadn’t heard the door open, nor had she seen her mother standing in the dimly lit doorway with two mugs in her hands.

            “Look at you two going at it like rabbits.  When I was your age your father and I-“

            “OH MY GOD, MOM!”

            Skye fell.  She fell hard and after she shrieked her hands were clamoring for the blankets, pushing Jemma off of her and against the wall under the sheets in the process.   Her face was the color of a familiar friendly reindeer’s nose.

            “What?  It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Skye.  It’s perfectly natural to-“

            “Mom, _get out_!!!”

            The embarrassed brunette reached for the first thing she could find, and Jiaying quickly dodged the pillow.  Skye didn’t hear her last comments as the door shut.  She felt like she was hyperventilating, and no longer for the reason she wanted to be.

            Jemma wanted to die. She wanted to curl up into a ball and be buried in her grave, so she did the next best thing. She pulled the mass of blankets over her head and willed the burning in her face to subside, though she knew it probably wouldn’t for a very long time and would reappear every time she saw Skye’s mother for at least another decade.

            They were definitely done for the night, after getting interrupted in the shower and walked in on in bed, Jemma was through. She wasn’t going to risk getting interrupted again, and it wasn’t like she was dying for sex anymore like she had been during dinner.

            It was silent in her pretend coffin, and she wondered how long it would be before either of them said anything.

            Skye was quiet for a while, her face too hot and her mind too jumbled to even come up with anything to say.  They were both hiding under the blankets in the dark room, trying to shield each other from their embarrassment.  Finally, Skye swallowed hard.

“Sorry, Jems…”  She slowly lifted her head from the blankets, tasting the fresh air instead of the hotness under the sheets.  She turned to look at her girlfriend and found her hiding too.  Suddenly, she laughed, and set her hands lightly on what she thought might be Jemma’s back.

“Jemma, come out now.  She’s gone! I’m sorry!” Normally of course, they locked the door, but they both had been in such a rush that they forgot.

“No, I am never coming out ever again.” Jemma groaned, burying herself even deeper in the blankets and ignoring Skye’s hands on her back. “That was so embarrassing.” She added, slightly frustrated that Skye somehow thought this was funny.

Jemma only removed her head from underneath the sheets when she could no longer breathe because she’d used up all the oxygen. She poked her head out and rolled over to face Skye. “How much do you think she saw?” She asked, still red in the cheeks. They were never going to be able to live this one down. Maybe it would be a funny story to tell in a few years, but for now, Jemma was still horrified.

Skye shrugged, a small embarrassed grin on her face, “Nothing she hasn’t already seen of me anyway.  She did birth me after all...but she probably saw a lot,” She grimaced then at Jemma’s face, trying not to laugh anymore to upset the girl.

“Hey, hey its fine.  Everyone’s parents walk in on them at some point right?  It’s like, a teenager thing.  Like a terrible awkward right of passage,” Skye rolled her eyes and then leaned closer to Jemma, giving her a kiss on the cheek.  “You’ll be fine.  We just have to survive till we get back to Hogwarts.  Then we can spend the summer and all future holidays with _your_ parents.”

This finally got Jemma to laugh. She propped herself up on one elbow and let the embarrassment slowly slip away.

“While it was terribly embarrassing, this would be a _very_ different scene if it had been my mum to walk in on us.” She joked. She pressed a quick kiss against Skye’s cheek before collapsing back onto the bed. One of the pillows was missing because Skye had used it as ammo, but they probably wouldn’t need it anyway. Usually one of them ended up resting their head on the other.

“Yeah, I’d probably be sent to the couch...or to a hotel,” Skye chuckled again finally.  She hadn’t expected it, but she did have to give her mom some credit.  She was a bit unconventional.  Well, more than a bit.  The brunette snuggled back down, rolling onto her side to hold Jemma and nuzzled her face into the smaller girl’s neck.  Skye kissed there a few times, grinning, “So...is there any chance of that happening again?  I mean the part before my mom came in?”  She was a little frustrated now that adrenaline wasn’t rushing through her veins, thanks to her mother.

Jemma rolled her eyes at her girlfriend and lightly pinched her side.

“Go to bed, Skye.” She laughed. What had happened was definitely enough to kill the mood. After all of the events that day, Jemma’s eyelids were finally starting to droop and all she wanted was to fall asleep in Skye’s arms. “Merry Christmas,” She remembered to add as she slowly drifted off.

 


	13. Firebolt Supreme

 

Skye didn’t think she had ever run so fast.  She was already out of breath and she still had to climb all the stairs of the Ravenclaw tower.  It was after hours and she was trying to keep her wand dim, but after what she had just done in the Slytherin common room, she needed to tell Jemma.  It could not wait.  She had already slipped past a few teachers patrolling the halls and now if she could only make it up the stairs.

The brunette was heaving by the time she did so.  She had a scribbled note in her pocket which she took out hurriedly.  She never remembered riddles so she wouldn’t be able to get into the room.  Skye just didn’t have the head for them like Jemma did, still, getting in would require some work.  The hall was quiet, except for her breathing, until she heard someone else coming up the stairs.  
            “ _Nox_ ,” the light at the tip of the wand went out and Skye quickly hid behind one of the statues.  Best not to get caught out so late.  She would get into trouble, even if she was the Champion.  The Slytherin girl peaked around the edge of the statue and could see by the light of the others wand, it was the Ravenclaw Prefect, having finished his rounds and returning to the common room.  

Skye quickly held the note in her hand and whispered an enchantment, pointing her wand at it.  Like before when she had needed to sneak a note to Jemma, a white mouse appeared where the white paper had been.  She set it down gently and the mouse scampered swiftly through the door as it shut, following the prefect into the common room.

Jemma was lying quietly in her bed in the girl’s dormitory, but she wasn’t sleeping. Since school had started again after Christmas break, her fears about the second task had also bubbled back up to the front of her mind. After the first task, she had assumed that she, Skye, Fitz, or Bobbi would have figured out what the clue in the black box was, but they still didn’t have any idea. They had gotten lucky with the first task, it wasn’t even near as dangerous as some of the challenges could be.

A small scuttling noise reached Jemma’s ears, but she didn’t think anything of it. There were tons of creatures hiding in the old halls and various cracks, holes, and crevices throughout the castle, and the dormitories were no exception. She’d gotten quite used to them, so she didn’t even notice that it kept getting closer until she rolled over in an attempt to get more comfortable and had to retain a small shriek. A small, white mouse was just sitting on her pillowcase, staring at her. It had startled her at first, but Jemma’s face lit up when she recognized it. The wild mice in the castle were never so purely colored like this, this had to be Skye’s delivery mouse again. It wasn’t the first time she’d used the spell that year.

She propped herself up on her elbow and reached for the small animal, watching as it turned into parchment with her touch. All the note said was that she should sneak out and that it was urgent. She knew Skye wouldn’t send her something like this so late at night if it wasn’t important, so she silently slipped out of bed, throwing on a pair of shoes and pulling one of her robes over her shoulders. Wherever they were going, it probably wouldn’t be as warm as in the dormitories, where the fireplaces were. She tiptoed to the exit, hoping no one was awake to see her sneaking out.

Skye was sitting behind the statue in the dark, keeping an eye out for the door to the Ravenclaw common room to open.  It was late and she knew Jemma may be asleep, but she was willing to bet that she had been up studying, just like she herself had been before she had gotten so frustrated with the black box.  The brunette had been so stressed since returning back to Hogwarts from break, and so had Jemma.  

It was not unlike Skye to have sudden bursts of violence, as her fight with Bobbi months before had demonstrated well.  It was this violence and her frustration on having been unable to open the box that caused her to throw it into the fire of the common room.  Having immediately regretted her decision, she went to reach into the flames for it, but the box had turned to ash, putting out the fire.  There had been a chill, and with confusion she had reached into the ashes and pulled out a small blank piece of parchment.  

Skye had been so surprised she had snatched it up, turning it over in her hands.  It had to be a clue about the next task.  They wouldn’t give her a blank sheet of paper.  She had rushed straight away to find Jemma.  If anyone could reveal the parchment's secrets, it was her girlfriend.

Skye was still behind the statue when Jemma finally emerged from the Ravenclaw common room, so Jemma completely missed her in a rush to get to the attic and because the halls were dark, almost pitch black. She hadn’t seen Skye right outside, so she’d assumed that her girlfriend meant to meet her where they always went when they needed to talk about something important.

The brunette had to scramble from behind the statue in haste, as her girlfriend was already heading down the stairs, probably to go to the attic.  She was quiet, still not wanting to be heard by anythings, but she quickly caught up to the smaller girl.

“Jemma,” She whispered and grabbed for her arm in the dark.  Skye would probably scare her to death just grabbing her out of nowhere, so she kissed her to be silent.  They couldn’t afford a teacher hearing them up and about.  
            “ _Lumos,_ ” Skye held her wand up and the light lit up both of there faces, “I had to bring you something,” She scrambled quickly into her pockets with her other hand and pulled out the blank piece of paper.  “It came out of the box!”

After overcoming the initial shock of Skye jumping out at her and the short feeling of their kiss, the words finally registered in Jemma’s brain.

“You opened it?!” She asked, quickly lowering the volume of her voice when Skye gave her a sharp stare and looked around to make sure no one heard her. Breaking rules wasn’t really her thing, she hadn’t even remembered to stay quiet. Skye nodded enthusiastically and Jemma reached for the blank parchment, eager to see what the clue for the second task was. She was disappointed that it clearly had nothing for them at the moment, but only slightly. Opening the box was probably the hardest part, a simple revealing charm would probably get the job done.

She was excited for the clue, but also curious to know how Skye had finally opened the box after months of research and dead ends, and why she had suddenly come up with the answer in the middle of the night.

“How did you do it?” She asked.

Skye’s face scrunched up with a guilty smile, “I may have...sort of...thrown it into the fire,” She smiled wider and shrugged.  “I was frustrated with it.  I have tantrums, you know this.” She rolled her eyes and pointed to the paper, “Anyway, when I threw it in, it turned into ashes and smothered the fire, and this was in there.  I know they wouldn’t bother putting a blank piece of parchment in there, so I knew you could figure out if there was a secret hidden.”

Jemma couldn’t help but let out a small laugh that she muffled with her hand. She could definitely imagine Skye getting so fed up that she decided to throw the box into a fire. They were very lucky that had been the solution and the whole thing hadn’t just melted, or they would be in in a much different scenario.

“There probably is.” She said, finally remembering to whisper. Jemma hadn’t thought to bring her own wand, so she slipped Skye’s out of her pocket. She’d used the other girl’s wand on several occasions, it wasn’t much different from her own. Holding the parchment in front of her on one palm, she pointed Skye’s wand at it. “ _Aparecium_ ,” she muttered. A grin stretched across her face as the ink slowly became visible. She angled her body so that both she and Skye could read the text at the same time.

Skye’s eyes went wide as words appeared on the paper and she smiled, nudging Jemma in excitement.  She had known the girl could do it.  Jemma was the smartest witch in the school.  Nothing got by her.

“From the dark realms constellation did I gain my birth, Secret children of Mother Earth, In armour’s coat the protection I give, To lie beneath those who live…” Skye tilted her head, eyebrows raising in question as they often did when she was confused.  The brunette let go of the paper and leaned against the wall, “What did that even mean?  It’s a riddle.  We open one box only to find another puzzle waiting.  They don’t want us to figure it out!” She grumbled, voice raising a little higher than she meant it to.

Though Skye was obviously stumped, Jemma’s eyes widened and her hands shook slightly. She had to solve a riddle every time she wanted to get into her own common room, so she’d become quite good at them. She knew what this riddle was about, and she definitely didn’t like it. The hand that wasn’t holding the riddle clenched at her side and she could feel her own nails digging into her palm. The second task was definitely going to be harder than the first.

Skye was waiting patiently to see if Jemma knew what it was.  She solved riddles every day so surely it would be a breeze for her.  What Skye didn’t expect was her reaction.  Her girlfriend was suddenly so tense, and it confused her.  She took her free hand quickly and grabbed Jemma’s, seeing the concern and fear spread over her face.

“What? Jems, what is it?”

Jemma clenched her jaw and loosened her grip on Skye’s hand for the other girl’s sake. It was clear that her own reaction was stressing Skye out, so she hurried to explain before the Slytherin completely fell apart.

“Dragons. This is a dragon’s riddle, I’ve heard it before.” She swallowed a lump in her throat as she informed Skye of her next challenge. Just thinking about her girlfriend trying to fight a dragon made Jemma want to throw up. She reread the riddle to make sure she had been correct about it before she told Skye the rest. “It’s about a dragon’s hoard, its treasure. I think you may have to steal your next clue from a dragon.” She said. She couldn’t stop saying the word dragon. Dragons were things she read about and studied, not something she should ever have to see in person. She definitely didn’t want one having the opportunity to eat her girlfriend.

The light quickly faded from the paper because Skye had dropped her wand onto the ground and was trying to brace herself against the wall. _Dragons?!_  She had barely been able to handle boggarts and dementors, now they were going to turn around and have them play hide and seek with a dragon?!  Jemma had been right the first time, when she had found out Skye had entered the tournament.

“I’m an idiot.  I’m going to die.  I’m going to be a dragon's over well lunch, crunchy bones and all,” Her back to the wall, she slid all the way down till she was sitting on the floor, shaking her head.  The brunette’s own hands were shaking now, she could see why Jemma’s first reaction had been so appropriate.  

“Fuck.”

“Don’t say that,” Jemma said quickly, kneeling next to Skye on the stone steps. She picked up the still illuminated wand and held it so they could both see each other’s faces. “You’ll be ok, we have two weeks to figure it out this time and we know what the task is.” She tried convincing her, but she was worried herself. She’d seen how awful Skye looked after the first task and how much it affected her afterwards, she didn’t want it to happen again.

“We just have to plan, there’s got to be a way. Think… what are you good at that would help?” Jemma asked. She was hoping Skye had an answer, because her own brain was pretty jumbled at the moment.

“It’s a dragon, Jemma,” Skye whispered harshly.  It didn’t take her long to get angry when she was upset or frightened.  That much had been evident when facing the boggart when she had tried to ‘kill’ her father.  “There’s nothing to be good at.  What I’m good at won’t matter.  It’s literally better at everything, that’s why it’s top of the _magical food chain_ ,” The Slytherin girl shook her head again, looking away from her girlfriend.  She knew that Jemma was only trying to help, to console her and calm her down so she could figure out a plan, but it wasn’t working.

“It’s bigger, it’s stronger, it’s faster.  The only thing I’m good at is quidditch, but with my shitty broom I can hardly outfly a bludger, let alone a dragon!  I can’t beat it to death with a club!”

Jemma flinched at Skye’s harsh words, but she knew her girlfriend wasn’t trying to be snippy, it probably just came out. She figured that Skye’s level of anxiety was at least ten times higher, she was going to be the one actually facing a beast at least ten times her size.

“There’s got to be something…” She said quietly, already beginning to run scenarios in her own mind. There had to be some way to win, or it wouldn’t be a task in the first place. If the riddle was accurate, Skye wouldn’t have to actually kill the dragon, she just had to steal from it. If she could just come up with a way to distract it, the task wouldn’t be as daunting. Skye wasn’t very patient, however, and reacted before Jemma could relay this information to her.

“Please, I couldn’t even defeat boggarts, Jemma.  I’m not any good at this.  I’m not a Champion!” Skye scoffed and snatched her wand away, standing up as she did so.  “I barely made it out of that dungeon.  And by barely, I’m talking the length of a fingernail.  It’s a _fucking_ dragon!  I can’t,” her voice had risen and it echoed loudly all the way down the stairs.  She tensed at her own words before she quickly followed the echo down into the dark, leaving Jemma alone outside the common room.  Skye was upset, and deeply afraid.  If it was the headmasters’ goal to kill them all, it was going to work splendidly.

_______________

 

“The task is dragons. You have to steal something from a dragon.” Jemma blurted out. She’d excused Bobbi and herself from breakfast the next morning as soon as they were finished eating so that Jemma could let her know what she and Skye had figured out the night before. She still felt sour because of the way Skye had run away, but she couldn’t blame her. She probably would have done the same thing.

“Wow.” Bobbi made a low whistling noise, but she didn’t seem as phased as Skye had been. It was probably because she’d signed up for this thing on purpose and knew what she was getting into. “Thank you, Jemma. I would have never figured that out.” Bobbi smiled. Jemma shifted a little uncomfortably on the stone bench in the courtyard. The blonde was sitting with her side pressed against Jemma’s, even though they weren’t confined to the crowded space of the Great Hall any longer. “How did you get the box to open?” She asked.

“It was Skye, she opened it, and it was an accident really. Apparently the box is enchanted to reveal its contents when it comes in contact with flames.” Jemma explained. Bobbi nodded in understandment and a slightly amused grin hung on her face. She was probably imagining how fire could “accidentally” touch the box.

“That reminds me, I needed to go talk to Skye before class…” Jemma trailed off the end of her sentence. She did need to talk to her girlfriend about what happened the night before, but she also just wanted some personal space back. Bobbi’s leg was constantly touching hers as well, and it was starting to drive her a little insane.

“Please stay.” Bobbi reached for Jemma’s arm and wrapped her fingers around the smaller girl’s elbow as she was getting up. Slowly, Jemma sat back down, not really knowing what else to do. She assumed this was about the task. It had probably just sunk in for the blonde that she was going to be facing off against a giant reptile. Well, that’s what she thought until Bobbi’s hand slowly moved downwards until it was closed around Jemma’s. Only Skye was allowed to do that, and Jemma wanted to pull away, but she also wanted to comfort her friend. If Skye wasn’t going to listen to her she might as well try to make Bobbi feel better about the whole situation.

“What is it?” Jemma asked. Bobbi had this strange look in her eye. It was a familiar emotion, but she was only used to it when it radiated off of Skye.

“I’ve been wanting to do something all year, but I haven’t had the guts…” Bobbi started. Jemma froze when she felt the taller girl’s hand on the back of her neck. This was all too familiar, but it was very, _very_ wrong. None of this was supposed to happen with anyone other than her girlfriend. “Ah, to hell with it.” Bobbi said quickly. “If I’m going to be dragon food in two weeks I might as well.”

The books in Jemma’s arms toppled to the ground as Bobbi pulled her closer and kissed her.

_______________

 

“Damn, girl.  Dragons?  That’s rough,” Trip shook his head, grabbing another roll from the bowl full of them before him.  He shoved it into some butter before he continued eating.  He had been listening to Skye all morning, talk about the second task coming up in two weeks.  He was just as surprised as her, to say the least.

“Yeah, I would rather not know, trust me,” Skye sighed as she fiddled with a piece of bacon.  She wasn’t very hungry at all this morning, and had barely touched what she had put on her plate.  “How am I even supposed to beat it?  Jemma said she thinks I have to steal the next clue from it, but that’s only going to piss the dragon off even more.  There’s no way I could get in and out.  They’re too fast.”

“Looks like you need to do some reading.  I bet lil’ mama already has a pile of books for you just waiting to be read,” Trip laughed then and pushed his plate away.  “There are many types of dragons you know.  You should probably think up a defense and offense plan for each one they could bring.  Tactics will be different.  Each animal has its own set of perks.”

“Yeah...logically I know thats what I should be doing but...I mean seriously?  I came in last on the first task.  I hardly made it through-”  
            “That doesn’t mean you won’t be good at this one.  You gotta turn that frown upside down, little lady,” The Gryffindor pat her on the back, which made Skye smile and shake her head at him.  He was always much too optimistic for the situation.  She supposed she could use some of that right about now.

Both were distracted by the sound of owls.  Other students could be heard getting excited, but Skye doubted her mother was going to send her another howler so soon.  SHe supposed she should probably write and tell her about the dragons...but then again she didn’t know if someone would be reading her letters and making sure that the surprise of the task wasn’t given away.  She turned her attention back to Trip, but the man was nodding for her to look behind her.  When he pointed, her gaze followed his finger where the last of the owls were arriving.

“Oh my god.  What is he carrying?!”

Archi, the tiny pygmy owl, was flying steadfast (and with a great deal of effort) towards Skye with the tip of a very long wrapped package grasped between his very tiny talons.  Jemma’s bird, Strigi was behind them, flapping away for the both of them.  The sight was surely something to behold and it made Skye laugh.  The little bird wasn’t good for mail, but he was at least good for a smile.

“Skye, that’s a _broom_ ,” Trip nodded, hands flying back from the table as the two birds crashed it just short of the plates of food.

“A broom?” Skye reached for the small owl, patting it on the head and scratching his feathers before she did the same to the red barn owl.  Tied to the strings that held the wrapping paper together was a small card.  With curious hands, Skye reached for it and eager to see who sent her such a gift, opened it up.  As her eyes glanced over the writing, she released the card.

Trip leaned forward, looking Skye in the eye.  The girl looked frozen, as if she had seen a ghost.  “You alright? Who is it from?”  When she did not answer, he picked up the card for himself.

“Shit, girl.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Skye unwrapped the broom slowly, cautiously now and her mouth fell open when it laid exposed before her.

“Trip...it’s a _firebolt supreme_.  It’s a firebolt supreme!!!” Skye shot up, taking the broom in one hand and nearly tripping over the bench to get away from the table.

“Your father sent you the fastest broom made by wizarding hands?” Trip asked, obviously confused.  He knew it was an amazing broom, the best, and it was Skye’s deepest desire to own one, but he was concerned at her lack of concern that it had come from her father.  She was overwhelmed with excitement.

“That doesn't’ matter right now!  Trip, I can _outrun_ a dragon with this!!  I found my strategy!  I have to find Jemma!  I’ll talk to you later!”  The Slytherin girl rushed away, leaving the Gryffindor alone at the breakfast table.  

She had seen her girlfriend leave breakfast early with Bobbi.  The girl was probably telling her about the dragons, which irked Skye a little, but Jemma had made it clear that they were just friends.  Skye was trying to put her jealousy aside, after all, Jemma was her girlfriend and they loved each other.  Jemma had the right to have other friends.  She supposed they all deserved a chance to be able to know if their second upcoming task was so dangerous.

Jemma would probably be in the library and the fastest way to the side wing of the castle where it resided was through the courtyard.  She could easily run there and then make it to class in enough time to not be late.  Skye raced past other students and then slid through the great wooden doors and out into the sun.  She couldn’t believe it.  Despite the broom having come from her father, Skye couldn’t be mad about it.  Flying was her best skill but with her Comet, she couldn’t even hope to out maneuver a dragon, but with the firebolt supreme…

The broom thudded to the ground.  The feeling of having seen her father’s handwriting had nothing on this moment.  She blinked once, twice, again, but the scene did not change.  Her eyes did not deceive her.  She was not under an enchantment.  Bobbi was kissing Jemma...or...Jemma was kissing Bobbi.  Skye couldn’t tell.  It made all the blood rush to her face and her heart pounded in her ears.

“ _Jemma_?!”

Everything was happening so fast, Jemma didn’t even know what was going on. One moment she and Bobbi were talking about the task, the next the other girl had suddenly kissed her. Less than a second later, it seemed, she heard Skye’s voice calling her name in disbelief. She pushed against Bobbi’s shoulders, definitely feeling discomfort and wanting to get the other girl off her her. She was not supposed to be kissing anyone other than Skye and she didn’t like it with anyone else. Her skin was crawling, but it seemed the gentle shove hadn’t been enough of a hint to the blonde that she didn’t want this. Bobbi’s hand on the back of her neck had her trapped, though, and she pushed harder, dying to get the girl away from her. She was sickened by the whole situation, and the worst part was that Skye’s voice sounded betrayed.

As quickly as it had started, the kiss was over. It wasn’t because Bobbi had finally pulled away or that Jemma had finally managed to push her off, but for another reason. She felt a little bit of the impact as something- or someone- slammed into the taller girl, knocking her away.

Skye had moved with full force, and as a beater, it had been a lot.  Her arms had wrapped around Bobbi, using her shoulder to crash into the girl, the impact of which sending them both toppling into the grass. Skye was dizzy, but she was already scrambling back up to straddle the blonde woman.  She grabbed a fist full of her robes, just under Bobbi’s neck and her right arm was pulled back.  Bobbi would remember well what followed.

Bobbi yelped when she felt the impact on her face and the thin stream of blood that followed, running down her chin from her nose. She knew kissing Jemma would have its repercussions, but she hadn’t expected her monster of a girlfriend to catch her in the act. The edge of her vision was fuzzy and she could vaguely hear Jemma yelling in the background.

“Skye!” Jemma practically screamed, grabbing the girl’s robes. Sure, she definitely hated that kiss and was glad it was over, but she didn’t want to see anyone get hurt for it. “Skye, stop!” She yanked at Skye’s robe, but her girlfriend just moved her arms until it fell loose, and Jemma stumbled backwards with the garment still clutched in her hands.

“You’re not getting off so easy this time blondie!  No cameras here to save you!”  Skye shouted, regaining her grip on the girl before she wound up for another punch, which she delivered just effectively as the first one.  The Slytherin girl lifted Bobbi’s head up by the fistful of her robes she had in her death grip, “You leave Jemma _alone_ , got it?  Get it through your thick Beau Button skull!  Jemma is _my_ girlfriend!  Just try your _shit again_!!”  Skye thrust her head back down onto the ground, hard.

At this point, Jemma was almost completely positive that Bobbi had a concussion, and she knew for sure that words weren’t going to do anything at this point. She gave up trying to yell at her girlfriend and dropped the robes. She wasn’t strong, but now she wasn’t kidding either. She was actually afraid that Skye would seriously injure another person, so Jemma did what she had to do. She grabbed the back of Skye’s collar and yanked backwards, grabbing onto some more of the material at the girl’s back to help her pull. Apparently, the only language that was effective with Skye right now was violence.

It took all of her strength to get Skye off of Bobbi and she was pretty sure she’d accidentally choked the Slytherin a bit, but that was nothing compared to what Skye had done to the blonde’s face. Jemma fell backwards, landing hard on her ass and still clutching the back of Skye’s shirt in her hands.

Skye coughed and grabbed for her throat as she stumbled back with Jemma.  The jerk was enough to bring her back to her senses, or at least some of them.  She gave a satisfied glance to Bobbi on the ground, nose bleed and all, and some of that blood on her own hands.  She used this hand to snatch Jemma’s off of her shirt and shove her away.

“ _I told you so_ ,” Skye’s jaw was clenched and she frowned at Jemma, bending down only to take her robe back before she marched back to where she had dropped her broom.  Shortly after scooping it back up, she went back into the main castle of hogwarts.  If the door had ever been slammed before, it was slammed then.  She needed to go cool off.  Class would have to wait.

By this point, students had gathered around and Professor May had finally gotten to the scene. Her immediate attention went to Bobbi, obviously, because Jemma didn’t appear injured, only shocked. She curled in on herself, tightly wrapping her arms around her own body and not even trying to stop the tears welling up in her eyes. _Skye was right._ The whole time she’d been jealous, she’d actually been seeing the way Bobbi had felt about her, but Jemma had been too stupid and oblivious to notice.

“Are you hurt?” Professor May asked her after heaving Bobbi to her feet and having two students walk her to the medical wing with an arm over each of their shoulders. Jemma weakly shook her head no and finally stood up. May let her leave, and Jemma went straight for the attic. She wasn’t one for skipping class, but she was too shaken. In less than ten seconds, Bobbi had kissed her, Skye had gone completely ballistic, and now she knew that they were officially fighting again. They just couldn’t get it right. She could tell the fallout was going to be bad, like their fight at the beginning of the year, but this time it was Jemma who had been an idiot. Actually, it’d been her the whole time. _Skye was right._

 


	14. Peruvian Vipertooth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank everyone who is still here and still enjoying this story! I don't post a lot of notes because I'm not all that talkative but all of your comments and kudos really make me happy. Please continue to leave them and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

For almost two weeks now, since she and Skye had started fighting again, Jemma had been grabbing breakfast and eating elsewhere to avoid Bobbi, but that wouldn’t do today. The task was set for the next day, and she couldn’t let Skye go into it without talking to her. She clutched her book, which was uncoincidentally about dragons, against her chest and walked over to the Slytherin table, where it looked like Skye was still skulking as well.

“Skye?” She asked nervously, trying to get the other girl’s attention once she was standing at her side. Her girlfriend ignored her, simply staring down at the plate on the table in front of her. Jemma’s heart constricted with guilt and she readjusted her grip on the book so it wouldn’t fall out of her clammy hands. She was nervous, not only about trying to get Skye to talk to her, but about the task that seemed to bring impending doom. It was clear that the brunette wasn’t going to talk to her, but Jemma needed to tell Skye what she had for her.

Jemma was a teacher’s pet and she knew it. This time, she had decided to use it to her advantage and go to the Care and Keeping of Magical Creatures professor for help. He’d taken her out into the forbidden forest the night before and shown her the three dragons that had been selected for the task. She’d marked the three species in her dragon book, three red ribbons were slightly hanging out of the edges. She’d also taken the liberty to mark them from most dangerous to least, so Skye could start with number one in case she didn’t have time to make strategies for each.

“I have some more useful information for you,” Jemma said, swallowing hard. She gently laid the book down on the table and took a step back. “I want to speak with you, but if you don’t, that’s ok. I’ll be in the attic if you want to talk. About anything.” Jemma meant that Skye could come to her about either the task or the current state of their relationship, and she didn’t know which one she wanted most. She wanted to fix things, but she also wanted Skye to live. When Skye still didn’t say anything, Jemma finally left, taking a few steps backwards and almost tripping on the stone floor before finally turning around and rushing towards the library. People had been staring, they had either witnessed or heard about Bobbi and Skye’s fight, and Jemma just wanted them to stop. She wanted to be alone with Skye again, but she didn’t think the other girl would bother to show up before the task.

Skye glanced over at the book once Jemma had left.  She felt terrible and very conflicted.  She wanted to talk to Jemma about everything that happened, but every time the other girl came to bring it up, or she herself wanted to bring it up, the words stuck in her throat and her mouth went as dry as a desert.  She just couldn’t bring herself to say anything, hence the ignoring.  It was a terrible solution.  In fact, it wasn’t a solution at all and was only making the situation worse.

Trip was sitting next to her, but he knew better than to speak up about it by now.  The first time he had tried he had nearly gotten his head bitten off.  He hated it when the two of them fought but in a weird way, he saw it as their process.  They, mostly Skye, would always blow up at the smallest thing and then they wouldn’t talk.  He would see this for a week or so and then all of a sudden when he saw them next, everything would be right as rain.  He hoped it would rain soon.

“From Egg to Inferno: a Dragon-Keeper’s Guide…” Skye read, finally taking her plate and pushing it aside so she could set the book in front of her.  What good was a dragon _keeping_ book going to be?  She needed to defeat one, not raise one.  She opened the book to the first tab Jemma had put into the book.  Trip slowly leaned over towards Skye, making sure he could read over her shoulder.

“Chinese Fireball? How did she find out what dragons they were going to use?” Trip asked, concerned, but very much glad that the Ravenclaw had.  

“Who cares.  She did it,” Skye was too busy reading to care how she got it.  The main thing was that she had.  She felt guilty for having ignored her girlfriend for so long and here she was still trying to help her.

“The Chinese Fireball is a scarlet colored dragon native to China, also known as the Liondragon.  The average adult is twenty-five feet long!” Skye rolled her eyes and looked up from the book.  How was she supposed to face something that big?

Trip groaned and shook his head at her, snatching the book away and continuing to read.  “The Fireball’s name comes from the mushroom-shaped flame that spurts from its nostrils when angered as well as the mushroom-shaped flames it shoots from its mouth.  Weighs between two and four tons.  Mildly aggressive,” Trip shut the book and turned to Skye, “Damn, girl.  That thing can serve you up on a silver platter well done to the core.”

“Oh _wow_ , thank you for that, Trip.  Way to give a vote of confidence there,” Skye groaned, slamming her head down onto the table in exasperation.  She didn’t even want to think about the other dragons.  They were probably all equally as awful and terrifying.  It wouldn’t matter which one they gave her.  She needed to think of a strategy.

“Hey, its okay though.  Lil’mama said this one was the least dangerous of the three choices, so hopefully this will be the one you get.  Let’s look at the others.  Can’t get too much worse, can it?” Trip was terribly wrong because when he landed on the next dragon Jemma had marked, he gulped.

“What?” Skye mumbled.  Trip’s face didn’t look confident at all.

“The Peruvian Vipertooth,” He shivered a little bit before he continued, “A copper colored dragon native to the eastern and north-eastern area of Peru.  Fifteen feet in length and one to three tons.  It is the smallest breed of dragon, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in speed and lethality.  It is poisonous.”

“Oh great.  I can die a slow painful death instead of being quickly roasted alive.  I can’t decide which one is better!” Skye lifted her head from the table and snatched the book away.  She looked under the name and saw that Jemma had ranked it the second most dangerous...so whatever the third dragon was had to be the top predator of the event.

Skye hesitantly turned to the page and groaned again, “The Ukrainian Ironbelly.  The Ironbelly is a metallic silver colored dragon native to Ukraine.  It is the largest species of dragon ever documented with a length of sixty feet and a weight of six tons or more. _Holy fuck_!”

“That wasn’t in the book was it?” Trip laughed sliding the book back over to him to look at the picture.  It looked menacing enough.  Trip was fairly certain he wouldn’t want to tangle with that one.  Really he didn't want to tangle with any of them.  “The Ironbelly is bipedal.  Oh, so it only has two legs, look.  The others have all four and wings,” He pointed to the page and Skye nodded, but she didn’t think that it would make a difference when it was trying to eat her.

“Immense wingspan, long talons, rough scales hard as steel.  Damn, this guy is something alright. The Ironbelly can produce jets of flame up to three thousand five hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than any other dragon species known to the wizarding world…” Trip shut the book then and turned to Skye.  “You,” He poked her in the chest for emphasis, “have some studying to do.  You need to talk to your girl.  If not to sort things out before your imminent demise, then to at least talk to her about the task.  She’s smart Skye and you need her help.  I can’t help you with this.” He shrugged and gave the book back to her.

“I don’t know, Trip...I don’t know what to say…”

“You gotta find the words.  And soon, before today becomes tomorrow and it’s too late to do anything,” He stood up from the table again and waved goodbye, taking his leave of the Great Hall and heading to class.

Skye sighed, watching him go.  She knew she needed to talk to Jemma before the task to sort everything out.  She needed to apologize for her behavior, and thank her for bringing the book.  She needed to ask for forgiveness and get her to help devise a plan to overcome all of the dragons, since she still didn’t know which one she would be facing.  Still, Skye didn’t think she could find the words for that conversation just yet.  She was running out of time.

When at last Skye managed to work up the courage to go to the library, it was already halfway into her first period of the day, which she had skipped.  She had spent the first half pacing in the Slytherin common room, trying to decide on what to do.  When she opened the trap door, she had expected to see Jemma sitting on their old ratty couch.  She wasn’t.

Skye came up and looked all over, but her girlfriend was nowhere to be found.  She must have gone to class.  Skye had missed her opportunity, after she had taken so long to think of what to say.  Jemma would surely come back during break.  The brunette would come back and meet her then.  She would apologize for being so mean and ignoring Jemma.  They would make up.  They would make a plan, and Skye would go into the second task feeling much better than she did now.  Only, it wasn’t going to work out that way.

 

__________

 

            The morning of the second task, Fitz rushed into the Great Hall, hoping that he would see Jemma inside and relieve his anxiety about her sudden mysterious disappearance. He hadn’t seen her in almost twenty-four hours, and at first he had thought his friend was with Skye, but was now seeing her at breakfast. She didn’t look good though, she looked a little green in the face, but he couldn’t blame her. If he had to face a dragon that afternoon, he wouldn’t be able to keep down his breakfast either.

            There was still the matter of Jemma though, she wasn’t the type to just ditch a day’s worth of classes and disappear entirely. Something had to have happened, and if anyone knew more than he did, it was Skye. Frankly, he was upset with her for reacting so badly. Jemma had told him what happened and he thought it was completely ridiculous for Skye to be upset when Bobbi was the one who kissed Jemma. The Ravenclaw girl still seemed to think the whole thing was her fault for not realizing what was going on sooner, and Fitz’s reassurances that it wasn't had gone right over her head.

            He passed Bobbi on his way to the Slytherin table, and the girl eyed him curiously, but didn’t dare act on it. She still had a slight bruise under one eye and he knew Bobbi probably wouldn’t be going anywhere near Skye or Jemma for a while.

            “Was Jemma with you yesterday?” Fitz asked, completely skipping over greetings. All he wanted to do was figure out where Jemma had gone, he didn’t really care for small talk or side conversations at the moment.

            “What?  No, only for a minute.  She gave me a book, then said she was going to meet me in the attic but when I got there…” Skye sighed and looked away from Fitz.  Jemma hadn’t met her in the attic after breakfast.  She hadn’t been in the attic during their break.  In fact, she hadn’t been able to find Jemma anywhere.  The brunette assumed it was because she had lost her chance to talk and now Jemma didn’t want to see her.  Now that she knew Fitz hadn’t seen her either though, she was starting to get worried.  It was unlike Jemma to not speak to anyone.  If she wasn’t talking to Skye, she was most certainly talking to Fitz.

            “She wasn’t there.  I didn’t see her after that.  Is something wrong?”

            “I’m worried about her. Yesterday she wasn’t at any meals or classes after breakfast, and she didn’t even show up in the common room or dormitories. One of the girls told me she was never there last night.” Fitz said in a rush. He had been holding out hope that Skye and Jemma had disappeared the previous day and spent it by themselves, but now that he knew Skye was just as clueless, he was starting to panic. “I thought she was with you…” He mumbled, looking down at the floor. Where had Jemma gone, and on the day before the task?

            “I thought she would be with you, if she wasn’t with me,” Skye shook her head.  She was just as puzzled and she could feel her early morning sickness coming back along with a knot in her belly.  Her anxieties were certainly growing as breakfast ended.  She was already in her Champion’s robes.  The task was to start shortly after breakfast, even though it was a school day.  Classes had been canceled for the event so that others could watch.  It was to take place on the quidditch pitch.  Perhaps Jemma was already there, getting a seat.

            “Maybe she is already at the pitch?” Skye asked.  Still, it didn’t explain why the girl had been absent.  Skye didn't think Jemma would leave her and not come to wish her luck, even if she was angry.  She had last time.

            “I doubt it,” Fitz said. “people are waiting in line for good seats, but she wouldn’t have to wait there for twenty-four hours.” He pointed out. The last time anyone had seen Jemma was actually twenty-four hours ago, she was officialy missing. They should probably go to Headmaster Coulson, or at least the Ravenclaw head of house. They had to do something to find her.

            The Slytherin grit her teeth together and stood up from her breakfast.  She hadn’t been able to eat anyway.  She was much too nervous.  She wanted to go look for Jemma, now that she knew something had happened to her and she was gone, but she simply didn’t have the time.  She had to report to the field early for another interview with The Daily Prophet.  All the Champions had to, as it was required.  

            “You have to go find her fitz.  The headmasters will be at the pitch.  Probably too busy to talk.  You’ll have to talk to the teachers or the Ravenclaw Prefect.  See if he has seen her.  I want to help you but I don’t have time.  I can’t miss the task even if I want to.”  Skye hated to say the words, but they were true.  She had signed a magical contract by being accepted and she didn’t want to find out what happened if she broke it.

            Fitz nodded, showing his understanding. “I’ll find her.” He assured her. He turned to walk away and continue his search, but he stopped short. “Oh, and Skye? Good luck.” He said sadly. He tried not to think about the possibility that this could be the last time they would ever see each other. Without wasting another moment, he hurried off to find his friend.

______________

           

            “As you all three surely know by now, the second task is dragons.” Coulson began the briefing of the champions in their waiting tent. “All of you opened your black boxes, which is good. The second they came in contact with flames, they not only dissolved and revealed the riddled parchment, but sent out a magical signal so that we knew who figured it out first.” The Hogwarts headmaster explained to them with a slight smile on his face, like he was proud of himself for being so clever. “Ward, as you opened your box first, you have been assigned the least dangerous of the three dragons, a Chinese Fireball. Skye, you came in second and now have a Peruvian Vipertooth. Bobbi, you were last to open you box, so you have been paired with an Ironbelly.”

            The champions still weren’t entirely sure of their task. From Jemma’s conclusion, Skye knew that it was something about a dragon’s treasure, but she didn’t yet know the objective.

            “This is another timed event, the champion who finishes in the least amount of time will receive the largest number of points. The task you must complete is simple, but difficult.” Coulson continued. The task was not as complicated as the previous one, but it was definitely more daunting. “Something precious has been stolen from each of you. Currently, each of your marks smells like a hatchling, so your dragon will defend it with its life. Your task is to retrieve this precious something and make it to the safe point on the opposite side of the pitch. Good luck to all.”

            Something precious had been stolen from them?  Skye’s eyes widened with the sudden conclusion that flooded into her brain. _Jemma_.  They had taken Jemma and given her to a dragon.  That was why she was missing.  It had to be.  From what Skye had read about the Vipertooth, it did not sound like a forgiving creature, and Jemma was going to be guarded by it.  Like a treasure, the dragon was going to defend her with its life.  

            Suddenly the riddle made a lot more sense.  Jemma had been right.  The riddle had been about a dragon’s treasure, and now she was going to have to take it.  It was quite ironic that the same treasure turned out to be Jemma herself.  Still, Skye couldn’t take any comfort in the circumstance.  She felt guilty at having thought the Ravenclaw girl wouldn’t show up to wish her luck on the task.  She hadn’t had a choice.

            The only satisfaction Skye found at present was hearing that Bobbi had to deal with the Ironbelly.  She had practically prayed all night _not_ to receive that as her dragon.  It was the largest and the most dangerous of the species which they had brought for the tasks...it also happened to be the first dragon on the pitch.  Bobbi would have to go first.  Skye tried not to grin, but she couldn’t help it.  Seeing she still had a black eye also gave her an extra boost of satisfaction, but only for a moment.  They would all be facing dragons today and there was no telling what was going to happen.  Skye had a strategy planned, but if the Vipertooth was the fastest dragon here, then it would be harder to pull off than she had previously thought.

            Nearly an hour went by while Skye sat on a bench inside the tent, not allowed to watch what was happening outside in the quidditch pitch.  She could hear it though.  She could hear the dragon roar, the sound of the flames shooting from its mouth, and the cheers of the crowd.  There was snapping, scraping, spells, flashes of light beyond the tent as the dragon sent jets of flame from its belly.  After a while, everything went quiet and the crowds cheering swelled even louder.  Bobbi must have finished the task.  

            The Hogwarts champion watched as Ward was ushered out after half an hour of preparations.  The keepers had needed to switch the dragons of course.  Even so, it was a long wait.  Skye lost track of time, listening to the roar of the crowd and the roar of the dragon.  Eventually she tuned it out, laying down on the bench, trying to calm herself.  She was getting anxious.  Going last definitely did not help her self esteem any.  She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that the brunette did not notice the quiet of the crowd or the return of Headmaster Coulson.

            “Champion.”

            Skye was quickly shaken from her happy place and sat up quickly on the bench, spying the headmaster at the entrance of the tent.  She swallowed hard and he took notice.

            “It is your turn, Miss Johnson.  The Peruvian Vipertooth has been secured and is awaiting your arrival to the field,” He had made his way over to her and put both of his hands on her shoulders.  She was shaking and he needed to steady her.  “Go now, and good luck.”

            With that, he turned to leave and Skye slowly stepped towards the edge of the tent.  The announcement was made and with a great intake of air, she stepped out of the tent.  The afternoon sun was blocked by clouds and the chill of February was in the air.  Winter had not yet fully left.  She looked up to the high walls of the pitch as she made her way through its underbelly and up the stairs.

            The green field Skye was accustomed to was gone, traded away for a field of rock and dirt.  She could see an enchantment placed over the stands so that they could watch the task without fear of being hurt by the dragon.  The new rock walls were high, too high for Skye to see over, and as she made her way through the gravel and out of the entrance she stopped.  Time was announced.  The task had started.

            Skye was frozen.  Hearing the sounds and seeing the flashes of fire beyond had done nothing to prepare her.  Her strategizing had done nothing to prepare her.  Nothing could prepare her.  Not twenty yards away the two ton copper beast lay amongst a bed of rocks, nostrils smoking from the pent up flames waiting to be unleashed.  It looked slim, built for speed like Skye had read.  Its orange eyes had a watchful gaze over the entire arena.  Skye dared not move.

            The crowd was quiet, waiting with bated breath, and she could hear the hiss of the dragon’s own breath as its belly expanded in and out as it breathed.  The coiling of its tail caught her attention and Skye nearly dropped her wand.  She had caught sight of familiar light brown locks.   _Something precious has been stolen from you._  The Headmaster’s words echoed in her mind and Skye took a hesitant step forward.

            “Jemma?”

From the second Jemma had entered the arena herself, she’d been staring at the entrance Skye was supposed to appear in, and a cold rush of adrenaline made its way through her entire body when her girlfriend finally appeared. She saw, rather than heard, Skye calling out to her. All she could hear at the moment was her own heartbeat in her ears and the scraping of the dragon’s scales on the rocks. She squirmed, but the dragon’s tail was wound around her body too tightly. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to make her uncomfortable and to make her feet start to feel numb.   
            Skye did not need to confirm it.  She felt the cold stare of orange eyes on her.  The silence was broken and the attention of a sixteen foot dragon was all on her.  Rocks tumbled away as the dragon shifted, its head slowly raising as it expanded its belly with a hiss.  Skye thought it akin to that of a snake, but with the added sound of a thousand rattlesnakes in its throat.  The sound alone made her blood run cold, and still she couldn’t move.  It came to its feet, a heavy chain around its back ankle rattling loudly as the beast shifted.  Another hiss filled the air as the Vipertooth reared its head back, mouth wide as if gargling something.  This was a different hiss though.  This was the hiss of gas.

            “ _Shit!_ ”

            Skye ran, sliding down quickly onto her side, ripping her pants on the rocks as she hid behind a large boulder just as a jet of flame shot from the dragon’s mouth and seared the earth where she had just been standing.   _Ok, this guy means business...think, think, think!!_  her breath was coming in quick gasps.  The brunette felt she might hyperventilate if she didn’t calm herself.  She watched as the jet of fire stopped.  She needed to get closer.

            Jemma’s stomach flipped when she witnessed Skye barely escaping the stream of fire the dragon had shot at her. She had a terrible feeling this wasn’t going to end well. She’d tried to give Skye a head start by letting her know what the dragons were going to be, but she didn’t know if she’d done it in enough time for the other girl to form a plan for each one. Her thoughts were interrupted again when the dragon’s tight grip on her suddenly released and she fell to her knees on the rocks. The dragon was moving, trying to adjust its angle so it would be able to reach Skye behind the boulder.

            “Skye, run!!” She screamed, but she wasn’t sure her girlfriend would be able to hear her from so far away and over the sound of the gas, which seemed to roar as it built up in the dragon’s throat.

            The Slytherin girl heard the hissing buildup of gas again, and the clanking of chains as the dragon moved.  She quickly shot out from behind the rock, rolling just out of the way and behind more shelter as a new wave of fire crashed over her previous hiding place.  Her heart was pounding, but when the stream of fire stopped she moved again, creeping closer, hiding from the flames.

            _You have one shot.  Don’t fuck it up!_  The last jet of fire stopped, the Vipertooth having to build up enough gas to light the flame in its mouth before it could fire.  Skye clambered up onto the rock, wand pointed to the side of the Vipertooth’s face, a mere three yards or so away.

            “ _Somnus Maxima!!_ ”  A more powerful version of the spell Skye had used to put both Bobbi and Jemma to sleep burst from her wand in a bright ray of white light.  It hit the copper beast full force, causing it to stagger and cry out.  It shook its head rapidly, eyes shut tight and Skye was frozen for an instant, waiting to see if her spell would successfully put the dragon to sleep, as she had intended.  It did not.

            When Jemma caught sight of Skye, all she wanted to do was run to her and help fend off the dragon, but she knew she wasn’t allowed to, and she couldn’t even if she wanted to. During the preparation process, Headmaster Coulson had confiscated her wand, time turner, and everything that she could possibly use to help herself or Skye. She recognized the spell Skye tried using on the dragon, but she knew it wouldn’t be strong enough to put it to sleep, only piss it off. Although the dragon moved, it hardly strayed from her, and just having the beast so close to her made her entire body shake. She was thankful for the strange lotion-type gel she’d had to rub all over her skin before the task began that made her smell like something the dragon wanted to protect instead of eat. She only wished Skye had this advantage as well.

            Senses regained, the beast locked eyes onto the Hogwarts Champion, its mouth opening wide, twisting its head till its jaw unhinged almost like a snake.  Skye wasn’t sure what was coming until the animal made a charge, head shooting forward.  She barely had time to act.

            “ _Protego Maxima!_ ”  

            An opaque shield spell quickly spread its way from Skye’s wand, creating a force field in front of her which the dragon crashed into with its full force.  It held but for a moment, long enough for Skye to regain her senses and sprint away, almost stumbling in the gravel before the shield shattered and the momentum forced the dragon down into the rocks.  It was very upset, Skye could hear as she ran, as the beast roared.  The sound caused the bleachers to shake.  Temporarily stunned, the dragon needed to refocus and locate the intruder to its den, who was currently hiding behind another large rock on the opposite side of the field she needed to be on.  Her spell hadn’t worked.  She needed a plan B.  
            “ _Accio_ firebolt.”  If she couldn’t waltz in and take Jemma, she would have to fly in, and fast.

            A sound Skye may have misinterpreted echoed across the pitch along with the dragon’s roar, and it made Jemma’s blood run cold. Thunder. She looked to the ground and the small hairs on the back of her neck rose. Small spots were appearing on the rocks, and she soon felt the droplets of water splattering on her face. It couldn’t rain, not now. Within a few seconds, the light shower turned into heavy downpour, and a bolt of lightning illuminated the darkened sky. Yes, this would help Skye by preventing the dragon from shooting flames at her, but now there was a much more serious problem. She could feel whatever she’d put on her skin before slowly washing off, and the dragon turned away from Skye. Its nostrils expanded a few times as it smelled the air, and then it turned its gaze onto Jemma. She didn’t smell like a hatchling anymore, and she was unarmed. She took a few terrified steps backwards, but her back slammed into something. She had run into the dragon’s tail; there was nowhere for her to run and no way for her to defend herself.

            Skye had not noticed the thunder, but she did notice the rain.  It was hard to miss as it grew into a downpour and Skye had to put her hood up to try and keep the water out of her eyes.  She needed to see.  The familiar hiss of gas was gone and she had to peer around the rock formation she was hiding behind to see what the dragon was doing.  It was dark, but not so dark that she couldn’t see the Vipertooth had turned from her.  Another flash of lightning illuminated the cause.  It was going after Jemma.

            _Why?! Why, why, why?!  It should be ignoring her...unless..._ It was the rain.  The rain was washing off whatever it was that was keeping the dragon from going after her girlfriend.  They undoubtedly left her without a means to protect herself.  Why would she need it if there was no harm in her being chased and devoured?

            “Goddamnit,” Skye scrambled on top of the wet rock and held her wand up.  She shouted for Jemma to duck, and she only hoped the girl had heard her before she didn’t have anymore time to waste on ‘ifs’.  “ _Bombarda!_ ”

            A small set of explosions working their way up the Vipertooth’s neck caused it to stagger and roar in response.  Its head whirled back around, followed shortly by the rest of its body to face Skye, who coincidentally hadn’t thought of a plan after the explosion spell.  It tried to build up enough gas to shoot fire, but the rain stifled any chance of a spark, and so, enraged even more, it charged again.

            “Shit!”  Skye turned around to jump down from the rock.  Over the rain her ears picked up a very welcomed sound, one she would recognize anywhere.  She jumped swiftly off of the rock and landed onto her broom, which had finally arrived after being summoned.  She shot off out of the way and higher up into the arena to try and get a better look at the situation.  The dragon had not crashed into the rocks this time, but instead had managed to stop quickly, and its orange eyes landed glaringly on her from below.

            When Jemma saw the broom, she felt proud and also immensely relieved. Skye had a plan. The dragon turned away to look up at Skye, who was already high up in the air. If she was going to make a run for it, now was the time. She didn’t think the headmasters would mind now that the whole situation had gone to hell anyway.

            The dragon’s tail moved away, untrapping her, and Jemma turned, intending to flee and slide down a few of the rocks to get further away, but another roar caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see what was going on, just in time to see the dragon lunge at Skye, stretching its wings and taking flight. Her eyes widened when she realized that she was in the way of its takeoff. Its tail flung back as its body lifted into the air, and she was directly in its path. The dragon hadn’t even been aiming for her, but the end of its tail rammed into her chest, shoving her backwards. Normally this wouldn’t have been a huge deal, but the rocks beneath her feet were slick and as she stumbled back, she slipped. The dragon had been guarding her on an elevated point in the rocky pitch, and now Jemma was falling downwards over the edge. The last thing she remembered was the sharp pain in her temple and the loud crack as her head slammed into a rock and everything went black.  

            Skye heard the roar and looked down below, trying to keep her hood up and wipe the water from her eyes as it pelted her in the face.  The dragon’s wings had spread and it was resolved to come up into the sky after her.   _Right, dragons can fly. Duh._  It launched itself into the sky and the champion quickly faced forward and shot off.  The beast was fast, but the speed of her new broom would hopefully be enough to keep ahead of it.  It was hard enough to steer without much practice, but what better time to learn when being chased by the fastest dragon species known to wizardkind?  

            It was also difficult to see.  Whenever they had to play quidditch in a storm, the team members were given goggles so that they could see, even through the rain.  Skye did not have that luxury now.  The cold rain was pelting her in the face and she had to keep an arm up over her eyes to prevent it from blinding her.  Suddenly, she had an idea.

            Skye was swiftly approaching the magical shield over the stands and once she was close enough, she held the broom handle tightly and pulled up.  She looped in the air, making sure her legs had a tight grip so she wouldn’t fall when she was upside down.  She had to take her arm away from shielding her eyes and thrust her wand towards the dragon as she passed over its head.

            There was a screech and the crowd screamed as the Vipertooth crashed into the protective field.  They all got an upclose look as the dragon’s orange eyes swelled shut, blinding it.  Skye had used the conjunctivitis curse and the beast thrashed as it fell back from the field and crashed into the rocks.  Unlike Jemma, she had not seen the tail coming.  

            The thin whiplike tail caught her in the chest with a crack, clotheslining her and knocking her off of the broom, which shot off without her.  Skye imagined it was what getting beat with ten bludgers at once must feel like.  She did not enjoy it.  The wind had been knocked from her lungs and the copper beast crashed to the ground.  She would be soon to follow but Skye was slowing down before she knew she had even mumbled the words.  The Slytherin girl had used _aresto momentum_ on herself and crashed into the rocks more gently than she would have otherwise.  

            More thunder covered the sound of the crowds collective ‘ooh’ as Skye scrambled up, soaked to the bone and wheezing for breath.  Her champion’s robes hood was useless now and she wiped the rain from her face, trying to regain her own senses and discern where she was.  She could see most of the pitch from her place.  She was on the hill of the dragons nest.  Jemma should be here.

            “Jemma?   _Jemma?!”_  It was hard to see for the rain, but not so hard that Skye could tell Jemma was not there.  She was not where she was supposed to be.  Maybe she had hidden herself?  But Skye couldn’t hear any answers to her shouting.  She felt the anxiety tighten her chest, though she supposed it might be because she had just been hit full force by solid muscle.  She looked back towards the dragon, which was still scrambling to get up and then she moved quickly to try and see over the edge of the nest.   _Shit!_

            Somehow, Skye managed to heave herself over a rock and slide down the gravel hill.  “Jemma!!”  Her girlfriend was unconscious at the bottom of the nest and though Skye couldn’t make out any trace of blood on the rocks, she could see it splotched with the rain on the smaller woman’s forehead.  The brunette didn’t have time to think of what had happened.  She was starting to panic and it was hard to breathe.  She needed to get Jemma to the finish and she needed to get her there ten minutes ago.  

Skye was about to pick her up when she heard the startled shouts of the crowd.  The dragon was back up and it was coming back with a vengeance.  It was still blinded, but its sense of smell was no less astounding and it had followed in the direction of Skye’s shouting.  Skye’s adrenaline kicked in full force when lightning shot across the sky, revealing the dragon was charging towards them again.  The beast was enraged.  Clearly it had not expected to come up against so much opposition.  She had no time for a plan, so she just acted and prayed it worked out.

“ _Wingardium leviosa!_ ”  Her swish and flick was just right.  Her focus was solid, and several of the smaller boulders lifted up into the air and she quickly thrust her wand, sending the rocks crashing into the Vipertooth’s face.  It startled the beast, having not seen them coming, giving Skye enough time to scoop up Jemma and make a mad dash for the safe zone.  Dragon keepers were waiting at the finish for her to cross the magical shield so that they could go and quickly secure the beast.

Skye crossed the magical barrier, wheezing with Jemma still in her arms.  “Help!!  I need a nurse!”  She didn’t even hear the roar of the crowd over the ringing in her ears as she passed the smaller girl off to the medicus, who had been on hand and already had to treat other champion’s injuries.  The Hogwarts champion watched Jemma get put onto a cot before the adrenaline faded away and she went crashing to the floor.

 


	15. Sweet Valentine

For the past day and a half, nurses had been waking Jemma up every hour to make sure she could still remember her name, her age, Skye’s name, and what had happened. She had a nasty head wound and a concussion, but other than that she’d escaped with only a few scrapes and bruises. Skye hadn’t been so lucky. Every time Jemma had been woken from her restless sleep, she’d been disappointed to find that Skye was still unconscious in the neighboring cot of the medical wing. She’d been told Skye had several broken ribs and intense bruises covered a large portion of the rest of her body. She felt guilty when she’d also been told that Skye had internal hemorrhaging from exerting herself by carrying her when she had already been hurt from getting clotheslined by the dragon’s tail.

Fitz had used Jemma’s omnioculars to watch the task, and he had given them back to her the second time she’d woken up so she could watch what she’d missed of the task. She had cringed and looked over at Skye’s sleeping form when she saw the hit she’d taken and her fall to the ground below. It wasn’t long after that that she’d fallen back asleep, and Fitz was gone when she was woken up again. That time, Headmaster Coulson had been sitting next to her cot. In the last hour, gifts from other students had piled up on both girls’ nightstands. Coulson had brought a vase of flowers for each of them and he had waited for it to be time to wake her up again. The first thing he did after a nurse asked Jemma the regular questions was appologize. He told her that no one had known it was going to rain, and that Skye had been awarded an immense amount of bonus points for completing the task despite it. He also told her that Skye had won. She’d finished three minutes faster than Ward, who had come in second. _Skye won._ She couldn’t wait to tell her the news, but first she had to wait for Skye to wake up.

She’d also requested that her cot be moved closer to Skye’s, and no one argued. She could only fall back asleep when her arm was stretched between the two beds and her hand was closed around Skye’s.

This time, she woke up on her own without someone waking her up. She shot up into a sitting position, gasping for breath and shaking. She’d had a nightmare, and she’d dreamed that Skye hadn’t gotten away from the dragon. She winced at the pain her sudden movement caused her head, but it didn’t stop her from throwing the blankets back and sliding her legs out. The first time she touched her feet to the stone floor, it was too cold and she had to pull them back up, but after another try, she stood up shakily. It only took a few steps to get to Skye’s cot, and she collapsed onto it, careful not to touch her. She slipped under her girlfriend’s sheets easily enough, and gently laid down next to her. It was a tight fit, and hard for her not to wrap her arms around the other girl and pull her closer. They were barely touching, but it was enough to ease her back into sleep.

Jemma was awake again in less than half an hour when a nurse came in for the hourly check up.

“My name is Jemma Simmons, I’m seventeen years old, this is my girlfriend, Skye, and we’re both here because of the second task in the Triwizard Tournament.” She mumbled sleepily before the nurse could even ask the questions. The nurse smiled sadly at the way Jemma was curled up in Skye’s cot before she left them alone again. Jemma didn’t fall back asleep after that, it’d been two days and she didn’t think she’d ever need to rest again. She was anxious and she wanted to get out of bed, but she wasn’t allowed to yet. She wanted nothing more than for Skye to wake up and to be able to take the tight bandage off of her head.

It may have just been Jemma’s mind playing tricks on her, but she thought she noticed Skye’s eyelids flicker.

“Skye?” Jemma whispered. She gently nudged the girl’s cheek, not knowing any other place that wouldn’t hurt her. “Skye, wake up.” She propped herself up on one elbow and leaned over her girlfriend, kissing her lightly. If anything would wake her up, that would.

Lips pressed up against Jemma’s, if only lightly before the champion frowned, her brow furrowing.  “ _Oh god_ …”  The brunette groaned and opened her eyes.  Her vision took a moment to focus, so she blinked several times and soon they adjusted.  “Why does it hurt to _breathe_?” her eyes finally landed on Jemma and she smiled weakly.  

Skye had a terrible headache and an awful throbbing all over her body, particularly from her chest. Now that she had spoken, her mouth felt dry and her throat parched.  If she didn’t know any better, the way Jemma was smiling at her she would have thought that they were in the attic, until she realized they weren’t.

The brunette’s breathing sped up, coming in gasps as she tried to sit up.  She groaned when she could not and began to panic, grabbing Jemma’s arm to both make sure that she was actually there and to calm herself.

“Are you alright?!  What happened?  I got you to the safe zone and then…” Skye couldn’t remember.  Her brain was still not fully awake and she could not recall what had happened after getting Jemma past the magical shield.

“Easy, hey, it’s ok.” Jemma held Skye against the bed gently by her shoulder. After everything that had happened, Jemma wasn’t going to let her girlfriend hurt herself again by trying to get up. If any of the nurses saw them up anyway they would have a fit. “I’m alright, just a bump on the head.” Jemma smiled, glancing upwards to motion to her bandages. She wasn’t going to tell Skye that it actually still hurt like hell and that she had a concussion. For now, she just wanted Skye to feel better, that would make her feel better too. She also knew Skye’s mind wouldn’t be at ease until Jemma told her what had happened.

“From what I was told, you passed out the second you made sure I was safe. Thank you for that.” Jemma laughed a little bit, trying to lighten the mood. “But you didn’t just save me, Skye. Headmaster Coulson was here. You won, and you won by a lot.” She smiled down at her girlfriend. They really didn’t have anything to be upset about at the moment, all they had to do was get better. For once, they weren’t in any imminent danger. They could talk about what had happened with Bobbi later. For now, they both deserved to be happy.

“I won?” Skye didn’t look like she believed it.  Her smile was hardly that of a champion who had won a task.  It was small, like a smirk, before she started to laugh.  This only lasted a moment though before she moaned and quickly tried to stop.  Even laughing hurt.  How appropriate.

Once she calmed down she sighed lightly, too afraid to let air out of her lungs too quickly for fear it would hurt.  Skye’s attention was back on Jemma, “I’m just glad you’re okay.  I got...so scared when I saw you had fallen.” Her eyes shifted away, looking around them now and finally spying all of the presents and flowers.  She ignored them though, she just didn’t think she could look at Jemma.  Her guilt had quickly come back.  Skye hadn’t forgotten that she thought the girl wouldn’t show up to wish her luck out of spite for what she had done to Bobbi.  She thought she had missed her chance to talk to her and that she didn’t want to talk anymore.

“I…” Skye shut her mouth again and fisted a handful of sheets.  She wished she could get up, but that obviously wasn’t going to be happening for a while.  She didn’t even know what all was wrong with her, she just knew everything hurt.  “I need to apologize, Jemma.  When you weren’t in the attic...and when you didn’t show up before the task,” Skye swallowed hard.  She was acutely aware of the dryness in her mouth now, though she didn’t think any water would help her spit out what she needed to say at this point.  “I didn’t think…” She even looked guilty at this point, “I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore.  I thought I had lost my chance when I didn’t show up at the attic right away. I thought you wouldn’t wish me luck because of how stupid I acted with Bobbi…”

Jemma didn’t even care. She didn’t care about Skye’s confession, all that mattered was that they were both ok now. If she thought about it, Skye had come up with a logical conclusion, she wouldn’t even be able to be mad at her girlfriend if she wanted to be.

“That doesn’t matter.” Jemma said softly, making sure Skye knew that she was completely forgiven. There was only one matter left to discuss. “You know that I… I would never…” Jemma stumbled over her words. She didn’t know what Skye had actually seen, but she had to make sure that she didn’t think Jemma had kissed Bobbi by her own free will. “I didn’t choose for any of that to happen.” She finally decided on words. It was obvious what Jemma was talking about. “I’m just sorry I didn’t see it coming.”

“Well, I can’t really blame you.  I had to flirt with you for over half a year for you to notice me so…” Skye shrugged with a smile, wincing after she did, though the smile did not fade.  “You don’t miss anything when it comes to classes, Jems, but if you were left alone to fend for yourself in social situations I think maybe you would miss a lot.  Like someone flirting with you.  Exhibit A present,” Skye motioned to herself with a giggle, “I forgive you.  I was stupid for thinking it…”  

The Slytherin girl nuzzled gently into her girlfriend then, careful not to hurt herself.  It was clear they couldn’t snuggle properly.  Skye might break in two if they did.  “So...I actually won?  I don’t believe it.  It had to have taken me at least an hour.  There was so much happening…”

Jemma blushed at Skye’s teasing and her face flushed even more when Skye nuzzled into her. She kissed Skye’s forehead and pushed a few strands of hair out of the other girl’s face. She laughed a little bit at the time Skye thought she had gotten. Headmaster Coulson had told Jemma the actual time and it had made her just as shocked as she was sure Skye would be.

“You finished in twenty-six minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I guess the rain was enough to make you hurry up.” Jemma grinned, but also shuddered a bit when she remembered the dragon turning on her. A sudden pain split through her temples and she glanced at the grandfather clock on the other side of the room. It would be time for another disgusting potion to help with the pain soon, in fact, the nurse was a little late.

“Are you kidding?!  I did all of that in under half an hour?! That’s insane!” Skye laughed again, and though it hurt this time she couldn’t stop herself.  Her hand was on her chest, trying to stifle it, but she could not.  She would be lying if she didn’t admit she was amazed at herself.  “Yeah, I guess the rain did rush me a little.  No one else had to worry about their _precious_ getting eaten,” Finally she seemed to calm down and her smile faded into seriousness.  Her hand found Jemma’s and she squeezed it tight, “Although I would prefer not to… I _would_ do it again.”

Jemma felt her heart swell up a bit, despite how cheesy Skye’s line was. She smiled and pressed another gentle kiss to the girl’s lips. She moved one hand to rest on the pillow on the other side of Skye’s head so she was propped up above her. She pressed feather light kisses all over her girlfriend’s face.

“You know, you slept through valentine’s day.” She grinned.

Skye’s eyebrow rose in question, just the way that Jemma liked, though she had a smirk on her face and looked more sly than confused.  Even a dragon would not keep her down, and despite her severe bruising she wanted quite a bit more than feather light kisses.

“What a terrible shame.  I will rectify that lost time the moment I am able to sit up without wanting to die,” Skye grinned and lifted her head enough to give Jemma a proper kiss.  It was anything but light.  Despite being in a cot in the Infirmary, Skye was feeling quite the high at the moment.  She had saved Jemma and won the task.  Apart from their injuries, everything seemed to be as it should be.  She would need to tell her mother about her success, though she guessed Jiaying had already read it in the paper by now.  Now that she was awake, reporters would no doubt want to flood her with questions.  Skye wanted very much to avoid those conversations.  There were several other things she wanted to do first.

“We can have our own valentine’s day once we feel better, I promise. I’ll get you twice as much of everything to show how sorry I am that I spent it sleeping.”

Jemma giggled, but only let Skye kiss her for a few moments before she gently lowered herself, low enough that Skye didn’t have to lift off the bed, but not low enough to crush her. She only lifted herself back up when her head began to pound and she was hoping that nurse would come in soon with a potion or two for them both.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Jemma laughed, leaning back and grabbing a chocolate frog box and a flower from the nightstand and then rolling back over so that she was on her side next to Skye again. She laid the flower down gently on her girlfriend’s chest and looked at the top of the candy box. “We’ve got enough to last us ten valentine’s days.” She joked, motioning to the tables of things people had brought them. “Think you can catch this?” She asked, holding up the chocolate frog box for Skye to see. It wouldn’t take too much effort, Skye had a way of grabbing the enchanted frogs before they could even get anywhere.

The Slytherin girl grinned at the supposed challenge.  “You think I can’t? I might be bedridden but I’ll have you know I am the champion chocolate frog catcher.  Just try me,” Skye smiled, looking haughty, despite her condition, before she smiled down at the flower.  People had left a lot of flowers and presents for them...but Skye didn’t much care.  Well, she did care.  She was very flattered that everyone had thought so much of them to bring so many things, though she supposed it was only because she had won.  Still, flowers from everyone else wasn’t what she wanted.

“I still want to get you something.  Gifts from everyone else doesn’t count,” For a moment, she looked rather adorable, laying there in bed with a flower on her chest and making heart eyes at Jemma, but she quickly grew determined again.  “Let that sucker loose.  I just beat a dragon.  A candy frog is nothing!”

“Ok, it’s decided.” Jemma smiled and kissed Skye’s cheek again. “We’ll have our own valentine’s day as soon as we both get out of here.” She grinned and prepared to open the chocolate frog box. As soon as she did, a voice startled her.

“Miss Simmons, you should be laying down!” A nurse fussed immediately upon seeing her propped up next to Skye, and she rushed over. The chocolate frog hopped away, long forgotten. Skye had missed it because she’d been just as startled as Jemma. Jemma’s eyes widened and she quickly, but carefully, put her head down on the pillow next to Skye’s obediently. Nurse Weaver had grown quite fond of her during the two days she’d been there, and more often than not, she was the one coming, waking her up, and asking her the usual questions. This time, she walked over to the cupboard and got out the same disgusting potion Jemma had been drinking for pain the whole time and walked over with two small cups instead of one.

“The usual?” Jemma asked. Nurse Weaver nodded and Jemma sighed. “My name is Jemma Simmons, I am seventeen years old, this is my girlfriend, Skye, and we’re both here because of the second task in the Triwizard Tournament.” She repeated for the hundredth time. Skye gave her a questioning look from her place on the cot two inches away and Jemma looked away. She hadn’t told her that her concussion was going to be keeping her out of class for weeks. Nurse Weaver handed her a cup of the potion and moved on to Skye. Jemma made a distasteful face, but downed the liquid nonetheless. She’d almost gotten used to it.

“It’s nice to see you awake, Miss Johnson.” She said, pouring another cup of the liquid. “This should help with the pain, but you let me know if you need anything else.” She handed it to her. Jemma mouthed the words “Good luck” to her before she attempted to drink it. The first time she’d tried it, she’d wanted to throw up.

Skye eyeballed the nurse and then the cup.  It smelled foul, whatever it was, but if it could make the constant throbbing in her chest go away Skye was resolved to drink it.  She opened her mouth and threw it back.  She should have swallowed faster because as soon as the taste was on her tongue she made a terrible face.  A hand flew over her mouth and now she didn’t want it to go down her throat at all, but she made it.

“Holy _shit_!  That was nasty,” Skye stuck out her tongue, still making a terrible scrunched up and disgusted face.  “Is this what they’ve been giving you? I’d rather drink old pumpkin juice,” Skye shook her head, trying to get the taste out of her mouth, but it lingered, and she set the empty cup on her nightstand.  

“Watch your _profanity_ , Miss Johnson!” Weaver exclaimed, and Jemma had to hold her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. Skye tended to have a sailor’s mouth, and she usually got away with it, but she’d finally been reprimanded.

“You’ll get used to it.” Jemma promised, referring to the awful taste of the pain relieving potion. She reached over on the nightstand to grab something to get the taste out of their mouths, and her hand landed on the jelly beans, but she put them back and thought something else would be better. She’d snacked on a few of them yesterday and had the misfortune to eat a vomit flavored one. She’d checked the tag, and of course, they’d been from Trip. She finally settled on a few strands of licorice and handed half of them to Skye.

“Thanks, Nurse Weaver.” Jemma said automatically. The woman rolled her eyes and walked away, muttering something about teenagers.

“I doubt it,” Skye grinned and took the candy from her girlfriend and quickly ate an entire strand all in one go.  She was going to need a lot more candy if they were going to make her drink that nasty mixture every hour.

 


	16. Three Broomsticks Blowout

** Chapter Sixteen **

 

            The winter months had come and gone, along with all of the chilly weather and the lovely snow.  Hogsmeade was certainly a different sight in the spring, surrounded by sprouting green grass and multicolored flowers instead of the white blankets of powder.  It was warmer now, and a lovely weekend to be out and about.  Skye had actually decided to don some shorts for the occasion.  The warm weather was also an excellent excuse for her to wear her tanktop with her favorite wizarding band on it.  Jemma often borrowed it to sleep in during the summer months, but not today.

            “Can we get some butterbeer before we go to Honeydukes?  Then we can take the candy to go and look at the shrieking shack.  Trip dared me to go past the fence,” Skye grinned daringly, holding Jemma’s hand as they walked down the path and swinging it to and fro between them.  They had been doing incredibly well since waking up from the second task.  There had been no fights, no bouts of jealous rage, nothing.  Skye was rather proud of herself.  This was how it should be all the time.  The two of them in perfect harmony without any secrets.  Well, that wasn’t exactly true.

            Skye still hadn’t managed to tell Jemma about her new broom.  She was sure that the broom itself wouldn’t be a problem.  Jemma had always known she wanted a fast flying broom and just because it was the firebolt didn’t mean it was any less safe than the others.  No, her girlfriend would certainly take issue with the fact that the broom had been sent by her father.  Skye wasn’t sure why she herself didn’t take an issue with it.  Perhaps it was because the broom had come in handy for the task against the dragon.  It had helped her save Jemma, so she had pushed any building concerns to the back of her mind.  She had written her mother about it and Jiaying had informed her that the Ministry of Magic had confirmed that her father was still in Azkaban.  That alone had calmed her nerves about it.  Skye didn’t want to think on it too hard, lest she begin to wonder how he had gotten a message out to get her a broom in the first place.

            “No candy frogs though.  I don’t think I can stomach another one until after summer.  Having eaten so many to apologize to you, and then showering you with so many to find you a new card for Valentine’s was the last straw.  If I eat another one I will be throwing up chocolate frogs for a month!”

            “Agreed,” Jemma laughed, nudging their shoulders together as they walked. She definitely missed stuff like this, and now that they were both out and about, completely recovered from their previous injuries, it was nice to enjoy a day out. “You’ve probably broken your record this year, if only we’d been keeping track.” She joked. Skye had probably eaten more of the chocolate frogs this year than even her first year, when she’d first discovered the charmed candy.

            Jemma sighed and shared a smile with her girlfriend, something they hadn’t gotten to do much this year. She was definitely going to enjoy however long they had before they started worrying for the final task, and even O.W.Ls. She had completely forgotten about them for most of the year, the tests had seemed so trivial compared to the Triwizard Tournament, but now she was remembering just how important they were, and she needed to start preparing for them soon.

            Everything seemed to be going well. Almost too well, if you asked Jemma. There had been so many unfortunate and unlucky things going on that she was a little weary whenever they had a good day. As predicted, something came to spoil their good mood, and this time it came in the form of a tall blonde.

            Jemma’s footsteps immediately slowed when she caught sight of Bobbi down the street. She could feel the blush on her cheeks, not her flustered blush, but one that came from being truly embarrassed. The last time they’d talked was the day Bobbi kissed her, she’d been avoiding her ever since. Running into Bobbi would already be bad enough on her own, but now she had Skye with her, and she was hoping not to have a repeat of what had happened before. To give her girlfriend a little bit of a heads up, Jemma tugged on her sleeve and pointedly looked at Bobbi. Maybe the blonde wouldn’t notice them and they could just continue their day. It wasn’t likely, though.

            Skye felt the tug on her sleeve and looked at her girlfriend.  She was confused, upon seeing how red her face as, until she followed her gaze a little down the road.  When her eyes landed on Bobbi, she immediately tensed.  It wasn’t subtle, it was all over.  Her free hand tightened into a fist while her other tightened around Jemma’s hand.  However, there was one improvement from before.  Skye stayed where she was, next to Jemma’s side, and did not rush to immediately take out the threat as she had twice before.  She only hoped blondie had learned her lesson...if not, Skye had plenty more teaching to do.

            Just as Jemma had predicted, Bobbi did spot them, and she walked over like nothing was wrong. Jemma had to give her points for having guts, she didn’t know how Bobbi could just approach them when Skye had already fought her twice.

            “Hey Jemma. Skye.” Bobbi acknowledged both of them when Skye threw her a glare. Jemma shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The tension around them couldn’t have been greater if they were surrounded by landmines. All three of them stood silently for a moment or two before Bobbi finally revealed what her intentions were.

            “Look, I’m sorry.” She said quietly, mainly talking to Jemma. She didn’t really care that she’d made Skye angry, she only regretted upsetting the Ravenclaw.

            Before Bobbi could go any further, the Slytherin girl had positioned herself between Jemma and the blonde, and she did not look happy.  Though she was shorter, her presence had become no less challenging.  Her finger was pointed directly at Bobbi’s chest, though not touching.  She wasn’t going to fight this time...or at least she would try not too.

            “Uh huh, You take whatever you’re gonna say and shove it up your ass as you turn around and walk away.  We are not going to deal with you today.  In fact, we are having a great day, so you can go about whatever your business is, but without this conversation.”  Skye wasn’t going to budge.  She couldn’t throw punches, but her eyes were throwing daggers.

            “Skye,” Jemma scolded slightly, nudging her out of the way to hear what Bobbi had to say. Unlike her very bitter girlfriend, she was usually willing to forgive people.

            “What I’m trying to say is that I give up.” Bobbi started. This finally got Skye to shut up and listen. “I’m really sorry I kissed you, Jemma.” The blonde stopped when she saw how tense Skye got and prepared herself for another attack, but Jemma squeezed Skye’s hand and she calmed down enough for Bobbi to continue. “I just had to see if I had any chance whatsoever, but now I know I don’t.” She tried not to sound upset about this. “You two are good for each other, I’m sorry I tried to wreck what you guys have.” She finished, looking down at her feet.

            Jemma was a little stunned by Bobbi’s sudden apology, but she quickly composed herself.

            “Thank you,” Jemma gave her friend a small smile. “For apologizing.” She’d already forgiven her, but when she glanced at Skye, the girl still had her arms crossed over her chest, brooding. She swiftly elbowed her in the side and made it clear that she wanted Skye to suck it up and forgive her so all of this could be over.

            Skye was resolved to stay in her current state of defiance, despite the shove to her side.  She mustered a nod for Bobbi, but didn’t look at her.  Instead, she looked to Jemma, who did not seem pleased with her attempt.   _Oh my god, fine…_

            “Yeah, thanks.  You’re forgiven...or whatever,” Skye shrugged Jemma off then.  Clearly that was as good as it was going to get.  Now that Bobbi had abandoned her claim to her girlfriend, Skye didn’t need to defend her from blondie anymore.  She still didn’t like Bobbi, and she certainly didn’t regret sending her two weeks into the future with her fist, but she would restrain herself.  If the threat was gone then Skye was content.

            Bobbi couldn’t help but smile a little bit at the exchange between the two girls. It had been like they’d had an entire argument with one look before Skye had given her the half-assed acceptance of her apology. She would take what she could get, though. She was just glad the brunette hadn’t decided she wanted to attack her again.

            “Good, because I have some information about the third task.” She smirked, knowing this would finally peak the interest of the Slytherin. She owed Jemma for telling her about the dragons, so she was willing to share what she’d found out about their final task. “I don’t know much, but I know that it happens in the Forbidden Forest.” Bobbi told them.

            Upon hearing the blonde had news of the task, Skye finally calmed down, even to the point of uncrossing her arms.  She had been hoping for something more substantial than its location, but she was thankful for at least that small bit of information.  They really did like to keep their champions and the entire school waiting on the edge of their seats.  Skye wouldn’t mind so much if it didn’t concern her, but it did.

            “Literally anything could be happening in the Forbidden Forest,” Skye shook her head and shrugged.  She didn’t seem displeased with the information, just disappointed.  There were all sorts of creatures in the forest.  It sounded like a free for all.

            “Well, that’s what I know.” Bobbi said before finally walking away.

            “Thank you!” Jemma called after her, almost forgetting. Bobbi turned around and waved at her for a second before continuing down the path.

            “You could have been a little less rude.” Jemma nudged Skye again, but she was smiling, so she knew Skye wouldn’t be taking her seriously. She was just thrilled that they had one less problem to deal with.

            “I could have...but let’s be honest.  In what alternate universe would I have been less rude?” Skye questioned, grinning down at the Ravenclaw.  She was now fully relaxed again and ready to get the rest of their fun day started now that her nemesis had been taken care of.

“Why don’t we go to Three Broomsticks and get that butterbeer?  We can celebrate our victory now that we have proven true love wins,” Skye laughed lightly and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek, taking her hand more gently this time and leading her to the Inn down the road.

            Jemma rolled her eyes at the way Skye saw the whole thing with Bobbi as a competition, but she also liked Skye calling their relationship true love.

            “Maybe I should make you jealous more often if we celebrate when it’s over.” She joked, though she would never even think of intentionally doing so. It would drive her girlfriend mad. She clearly didn’t handle it very well.

            Jemma laughed at the clearly horrified expression on Skye’s face and started walking again, swinging their clasped hands between them.

            “Better idea, how about you just listen when I say someone is flirting with you, and then you don’t yell at me and hit me with newspapers afterward?” Skye laughed and quickly had to dodge a playful slap before she let go of Jemma’s hand to go and open the door to the Inn for her.

            “After you, m’lady,” The brunette walked in after her and glanced around for an empty table.  She found one, but it wasn’t empty.  A familiar face made her smile and Skye noded for Jemma to follow her over.

            “Well if it isn’t my two favorite ladies!” Trip grinned wide and put his butterbeer down and hugged the two of them before he sat back down.  Skye sat across from him, patting for Jemma to sit beside her.

            “We’re only your favorite because we are the only girls who talk to you,” Skye chuckled to herself, watching as the Gryffindor puffed up.

            “Hey now, Trip has game. Don’t be doubting my skills.”

            “Oh I would never,” The Slytherin rolled her eyes before putting on her best smile, “Why don’t you be a gentleman and go get your favorite ladies a drink?!”

            “As you command oh Hogwarts Champion,” They both laughed before he walked away back through the crowd of villagers and students to go get some butterbeer for the table.

            Skye leaned in then, and Jemma playfully kissed her on the cheek. The Slytherin seemed content to continue on cuddling and being cute, and Jemma would have been too, if she hadn’t noticed the pair of eyes staring at them. And then another. Actually, now that Jemma took a better look, almost everyone in the room was staring at them, students or not. Skye seemed oblivious, that or she couldn’t care less who was watching them.

            “Someone’s popular.” Jemma said under her breath, nudging Skye and trying to make her aware of the fact that they were being watched without straight up pointing. She’d almost forgotten about Skye winning the task until now. People were probably fascinated with her right now, just like Bobbi’s schoolmates had been when she’d won the first task.

            “Hm?” Skye’s left eyebrow rose, just like normal when she was confused and she glanced around.  Everyone who had been staring, of course, did not want to be caught staring, and had turned around quickly back to their own business.  “Popular? Who is popular?”  She turned around the other way too but she didn’t see anyone who stood out.  Just Trip walking back with two mugs.

            He set them down in front of the girls and sat back down himself, “So, what have you two been up to since you got out of the infirmary? I left you guys some Every Flavored Beans.  You see them?”

            Jemma sighed at how inept Skye was at noticing things outside of her own personal bubble. The other girl would figure it out eventually, though, and Trip had changed the subject to one that definitely needed a response from her.

            “I more than saw them,” Jemma scoffed. “In fact, I don’t think I’m ever going to risk eating a jelly bean again. You do not want to try to get rid of the taste of a potion with something equally disgusting.” She complained, very distinctly remembering her horrible experience. Skye was lucky she’d been unconscious for that one.

            “I take it then that you followed that potion with a vomit flavor?” Trip laughed, obviously quite pleased with himselfs.

            Skye was laughing too.  She had already gotten to hear Jemma complain about it for days while they were still kept in the infirmary.  “You really should have known better, Jems,” The Slytherin laughed, “They had a big ‘Love Trip’ on them.”

            “I had a concussion! My brain was not functioning properly!” Jemma defended herself. “Excuse me for thinking our dear friend actually wanted to do something nice.” She said sarcastically, though she also wished she’d been a little more careful about accepting gifts from Trip.

            “Easy, Lil’mama.  I sent flowers too,” The Gryffindor winked and sipped at the rest of his butterbeer.

            Skye was trying her best not to laugh at Jemma, but it wasn’t working.  Those flowers had caused a mess of complaining too.

            Jemma’s eyebrows rose in question and she shot a quick glare at her girlfriend, but the girl’s giggling didn’t do anything to ease her annoyance at Trip.

            “You mean the flowers that squirted water at me? If that’s what you think is being sweet and making up for the jelly beans, I’d hate to see what it’s like to be on your bad side.” Jemma complained. She remembered the fiasco the flowers had caused. The moment she was least expecting it, they’d shot water straight in her face, soaking her bandages and her sheets. Skye had laughed until their nurse had come running and immediately blamed her, thinking she’d somehow pranked Jemma.

            “Hey, it was so boring being in there for so long!  At least he managed to make some of it fun,” Skye chuckled to herself.  She drank some of her own butterbeer to calm down.  Jemma’s face was getting all red and flustered and the brunette thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

            “Exactly!  See, I have my uses,” Trip smiled and pushed his empty cup back, throwing his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his seat.  “If it wasn’t for Skye working all those fancy moves on that Firebolt her dad gave her you guys would have been in the infirmary even longer!  That would have been time for more pranks, so really you’re lucky,” The Gryffindor was smiling, but it didn’t last very long and was quickly wiped from his face.

            “What?  Wha- _Ohh_ ,” Trip looked away from the evil eye Skye was throwing at him and over to Jemma.  Skye hadn’t had a chance to bring up the fact that the broom she had used had not been her old Comet, but was in fact a new broom.  That wasn’t the problem though.  The problem was that she hadn’t mentioned it because it had been sent from her father.  Honestly, Skye had forgotten until now, her and Jemma’s past few weeks having gone so well.

            “ _What?_ ” Jemma repeated what seemed to be the word of the day. She hadn’t been sure of what she’d heard and she thought her mind had been playing tricks on her until she saw the exchange between Skye and Trip.

            “Unbelievable.” She muttered once it sunk in. She’d thought she and Skye were finally back to a place where they could tell each other everything, after all they’d been through, but apparently she was wrong. This wasn’t just something Skye could forget to bring up, this was huge. Probably just as huge as when Skye put her name in that stupid goblet. This was serious, this was Skye’s father, the death eater, who was supposed to be in Azkaban.

            Jemma clenched her jaw and tried to remain calm when she realized everyone was watching them again. She was furious, though, and it was a difficult thing to do. She finally turned her head and made eye contact with Skye. She wasn’t just angry, she was hurt that her girlfriend wouldn’t even bother to tell her something this huge. Clearly, Skye didn’t care that much about having her help or advice, so there was no reason for her to be here. She rolled her eyes and stood up, ignoring Skye’s apologetic look and storming out.

“Jemma!!” Skye shot up from her seat to follow her before turning back, eyes staring at Trip like they were burning a hole through his apologetic smile.

“I thought you _told_ her?” Trip shrugged, putting his hands up for his defense before Skye rolled her eyes at him too and quickly rushed out after the girl.  She didn’t notice the many pairs of eyes on her, but Trip did, and when Skye had left the Inn he and everyone else were clamboring for the windows to see what was happening.

“Jemma, slow down!  I’m sorry!”  The brunette quickly reached out and caught her girlfriend’s arm to stop her and turn her around.

“Sorry you didn’t tell me, or sorry I found out anyway?” Jemma spit back, roughly jerking her arm away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see everyone from inside that had been staring still watching them from the window. This only flared her already high temper, so she continued her walk back to the castle, wishing that Skye would just leave her alone at the moment.

Skye was taken aback.  The girl wasn’t even going to wait for an explanation.  She was already walking away, leaving the brunette stunned standing in the middle of the road.  She shook the shock off and darted after her again, this time running in front of her so she couldn’t just walk by and leave her again.

“Hey!  Just stop for a second and listen to me!” Skye held her arm out to keep the smaller girl from leaving as quickly again.

“Fine.” Jemma stopped, planting her feet on the ground and staring Skye in the face. “What’ve you got this time?” She knew she was being mean, but she couldn’t help it. This wasn’t the first time Skye had made the exact same mistake this year, and she was getting tired of it. First it was her jealousy of Bobbi and the excuse that it was different than with Fitz, and then it was the goblet of fire, and her excuse was a stupid, ridiculous dare that Skye had chosen to follow through with herself.

The words hurt, but Skye needed to swallow them to get through what she was going to say.  Jemma was just angry, and she had a right to be.  That’s why Skye was trying to fix it.

“I was going to tell you.  I actually _tried_ to tell you,” She swallowed hard.  That perhaps might have not been the best thing to say.  It was already out though, and she might as well continue down the path she had started herself on.  Dig the grave a little deeper till she voluntarily dropped in it.

“I was coming to tell you about the broom that morning...but I got... _distracted_ ,” No, that wasn’t the best word to use.  That was just going to make the Ravenclaw even more angry.  “And by distracted, I mean...I got the broom the morning Bobbi kissed you, okay? I sort of stopped thinking about showing it to you when...you know, I punched her in the face.”

“Is that was this was?! You didn’t want to tell me because you were being spiteful about what happened with Bobbi? We’ve been over this!” Jemma felt like she was going to explode. She groaned and had to look away to catch a breath.

“ _No!_  That’s not it at all!” Skye was starting to panic and she reached for Jemma’s arms, gently, and held her in place, afraid she was going to run away again.

“I wasn’t being spiteful!  I really did forget!  I was being an idiot.  When I saw you and Bobbi I forgot all about the broom.  Everything after that happened so fast.  I was trying to prepare for the task, we weren’t talking...I was coming to the attic to tell you but then you weren’t there!  And then the task started and we almost died…”  Skye let her go, figuring Jemma probably didn't want to be held, especially since her excuses kept getting worse.

“When I woke up I was just so happy that you were okay.  Honestly the broom was the last thing on my mind...I really didn’t remember it until just now when Trip said it…”

Now Jemma was embarrassed. Despite her anger, she could see that Skye was sincere just by the terrified look on her face, the one that was scared Jemma wasn’t going to believe her.

“Oh.” She mumbled, looking down at her feet. Her previous anger had dissipated and now she was just as upset with herself for starting yet another stupid fight. “I just…” She looked up and almost flinched at the scared look on her girlfriend’s face. “I love you, Skye, and I want to help protect you. I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s going on.” She said quietly.

Skye sighed heavily and wasted no time in pulling Jemma into her arms, where she held her close.  She was relieved her girlfriend believed her.  The brunette knew she had made the same mistake many times previously and the outcome had not gone nearly as well as this one.  Skye knew she had been wrong not to tell Jemma, but it really had just slipped her mind.

“I know.  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I swear.  I wrote my mom and she says that the ministry is one hundred and ten percent certain that my father is still in Azkaban.  There’s no need to worry.  He’s known all my life I wanted the best broom around.  I don’t know how I got it, but I did.  I’m glad I did.  It helped save you, so I can’t be angry,” The Slytherin smiled and leaned down and planted a light kiss on Jemma’s forehead.  “I promise I’ll tell you any new earth shattering information right away.”

“Thank you.” Jemma sighed, resting her hands on Skye’s arms. It was definitely a relief to hear that Skye had contacted her mother about it and that Cal was still in Azkaban, she would have asked about that next. It was still unsettling, though. “We should still keep our eyes open, though, it’s supposed to be impossible to send out a message like that.” Jemma pointed out.

“We will,” Skye promised and took Jemma’s hand, hoping she would follow her back into town.  When her eyes went towards the Three Broomsticks however, a sudden mass onlookers fled from the windows and back to their seats.  Skye stopped abruptly, looking confused and turned questioning eyes to Jemma.

“When you said ‘someone’s popular’...you meant me, didn’t you?” She asked, “The entire population of Hogsmeade just pried their eyes from the window to finish their drinks…”

Jemma let out a laugh and finally stepped away from Skye. She knew the other girl would figure it out eventually, and it hadn’t taken quite as long as she’d thought it would.

“Let’s give them something to watch, then.” She giggled and stood on her toes to press a happy kiss against her girlfriend’s lips. She was glad they managed to work through their misunderstanding this time so that their conversation could end this way instead of one of them storming off or ignoring the other.

Skye grinned happily into it, quite pleased with the way the conversation had gone now.  She kissed her back lightly before sighing, content.  “I don’t want to leave just yet...but I don’t think I want to go back in there.  I hate to say it, but I think our candy stash is getting low.  How about a trip to Honeydukes before we go back?  We can eat it in the attic??”

“Sure,” Jemma smiled and grabbed Skye’s hand, already leading her in the right direction. “Because God forbid we run out of candy.” She teased Skye and her sweet tooth, grinning as they headed towards the candy shop.

 


	17. Final Task

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! Thanks for all the kudos and reviews. Theres some graphic stuff towards the end so prepare yourself.

“Everything will be fine, she’ll be ok.” Jemma told herself, Fitz, and Trip, but mostly herself. They were sitting in the bleacher-type seating area that was supposed to be the end of the task, where the winner would supposedly appear. Her foot was tapping the wood at an insanely fast pace, and Fitz had to nudge her shoulder to remind her to stop, because it was annoying everyone around them.

After she and Skye had said their goodbyes and she was taken away by the headmasters for the third time, Jemma had met up with Fitz and Trip to go sit with the audience. It had been explained to them just before the task started that it was a race. The three champions were placed on three different sides of the Forbidden Forest, and the first one to make it to the center was the winner. There would be a portkey to take the winning champion back to the finish, where most of Hogwarts and the two other schools were waiting.

Jemma was going to keep her eye out for green flares, each time Skye made it a certain distance, one of them would shoot into the air to signal her location. Bobbi’s were going to appear as blue, and Grant Ward’s were red. What she didn’t want to see was a yellow flare in Skye’s path, that meant that she was hurt or could not continue and she needed help. At least this time she was allowed help, though, and she was allowed to back out if she thought her life was in danger. Knowing Skye’s personality, though, Jemma was afraid Skye would try to win even if she should back out.

__________

It was dark, there was fog, and Skye was alone.  She was the only being near the forest for at least a mile, if not more, and it made her shiver.  The brunette wasn’t sure why they had to wait till nightfall for the task, surely it would be hard enough during the day.  There wasn’t even much moonlight to see by.  It would make seeing the starting flare easier, the signal for the Champions to finally enter the forest, but it would make stumbling and racing through the Forbidden Forest a lot harder.  That was probably the point.

Just waiting, having to listen to the silence, broken occasionally by strange sounds coming from deep in the woods, wasn’t boosting her confidence.  It was putting her on edge, making her tense.  Well, more tense than she was when she had been escorted to her starting point.  Her wand was ready and her feet teetered between taking that first step into the forest and trying to keep still.

Her trance was broken when a bright red ball of light shot over the trees into the sky, exploding across and lighting the darkness up with enough red light that all the Champion’s around the forest would be able to see.  It was time to begin.  Skye’s grip on her wand tightened and she shot her hand into the sky, “ _Periculum_!”  A series of green flares shot up from Skye’s wand into the sky, signaling her starting position.  She knew the others would be doing the same, but she couldn’t see their flares if they sent them up.

“Alright...let’s go,” The Hogwarts Champion took a breath, and then shot off into the woods.  It was a race and she would need to hurry, but she would also need to be cautious and keep up her stamina.  She needed to be wary and ready for anything.  Life in the forest was versatile and Skye knew she had a good chance of running into nearly any sort of creature.  

__________

The music that had been playing only heightened Jemma's anxiety, and at the climax of the song, with a loud bang of a drum that made her flinch, what looked like a firework instead of a flare shot into the air in the distance where presumably the Triwizard Cup was awaiting a champion. Jemma sucked in a deep breath and tried not to worry, though it was an impossible task. Even though the task had hardly started, Jemma was relieved to see the green sparks that signaled Skye's starting location. She was far away from the firework, but no further than the red and blue flares sent up by the other champions. Jemma vaguely worried for Bobbi as well, but after everything that had happened, she couldn't bring herself to think about her anymore. Her main focus was Skye.

"There she goes." Fitz said quietly. Jemma's leg began bouncing again and from her other side Trip put his hand on her knee to stop it.

"Skye's tough, she'll make it. Hell, that girl might even win." Trip said cheerfully. Jemma wondered how he managed to stay so upbeat all the time. Maybe he could teach her how someday.

"I don't want her to win, I want her to shoot that yellow flare into the air and get out of there." Jemma replied. Trip smiled like she was joking, but she was dead serious.

"Come on, lil'mama, Skye can take whatever's in there. Just think about it. She's already gotten past bogarts, dementors, and a dragon." Trip pointed out, waving his finger in the air to try and make a point.

"Exactly, she's pushing her luck." Jemma sighed. She was usually a firm believer in preparation and knowledge, she hardly ever left anything to chance, but the tournament was beginning to change her view on a lot of things. "I should have broken the rules and made her a Felix Felicis potion." She sighed, putting her elbows down on her thighs and her chin into her hands. It was going to be a long night and it just didn't seem like enough to see the flare every few miles when Skye reached a checkpoint.

__________

It had been ten minutes and Skye had kept a steady jog through the darkness of the woods, careful to keep an eye out.  She had stopped a few times when she had heard curious sounds piercing through the silence of the woods, but forced herself to keep going.  The cup had been placed in the center of the forest and the brunette only hoped she was going in the right direction.  She had already had to deal with some annoying pixies, which she had fended off easily, stunning them with a simple spell before rushing on.

Just past the fifteen minute mark Skye stopped suddenly when she felt herself pass through some sort of magical veil, and it shattered like glass behind her.  Green sparks shot up from the sky, signaling her position to those who were watching somewhere on the outside of the forest.  She stared up at the flares, backing up, not wanting to stand still lest she lose too much time, and bumped into a rock, stumbling among the fog that covered the forest floor and let out a shriek as she toppled backwards.

It echoed through the forest, disturbing some nesting birds and they shot up from the trees, flocking away in the light of the green spark.  She tumbled backwards and continued to fall, rolling down a steep hill, hitting roots and out jutting rocks along the way till she landed hard at the bottom in a pile of leaves.

“Shit!” She grabbed for her head, rubbing it and pulling her hands back to make sure that the sharp pain hadn’t caused any noticeable damage.  She found no blood on her hands and sighed in relief.  The brunette scrambled back up, brush leaves off of herself and out of her hair.  When she went to swipe her arm clean however, she brushed away more than just leaves.  The Hogwarts Champion grimaced as she quickly shook off a spider, sending chills down her spine.

Skye took a look closer and regretted it instantly.  Among the leaves the forest floor was riddled with spiders.  She had heard the rumors about the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest and it made her move forward slowly as she began to fear she may have stumbled into their nest.  Jemma would have been fascinated.  Giant spiders, how did they function, what did they eat, how they lived, etc.  Skye wasn’t interested.

She continued on, wand at the ready as she weaved her way over and under thick tree roots and through tunnels covered in webs.  It made her skin crawl, but she had to keep going.  The only direction was forwards.  The deeper in she went, the faster she moved as the sounds around her began to shift.  Finally she was running again, and stumbled out into a wide opening.  She tripped in the dirt and fell forward, catching herself with her hands.  The fog dissipated and she felt around with her hands, trying to get up, before she forced herself back so fast she almost fell backwards.  Her hands had landed in a pile of decomposing bones.   When she looked, the entire forest floor here was made up of them.

Another shriek moved its way up her throat but got stuck halfway out when she looked up.  Spiders.  More specifically, acromantulas.   _Giant_ spiders.  Apparently, she could now confirm, that it was not, in fact, a rumor.  Skye slowly glanced around, trying to keep an eye above her at the same time and grit her teeth when she discovered that all around her was a steep slope.  She was in a basin of some sort.  She could feel the adrenaline as her heart began to beat faster and her attempt to make an exit strategy more frantic.  Then she saw it.  A thick tree root jutting out from the rock and dirt, winding down into the ground along the incline.

Slowly, Skye began to creep towards her way out, hoping not to disturb the spiders.  The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck were on end.  She could feel thousands of tiny beady eyes boring a hole into her back.  The brunette willed herself to stay calm and keep moving forward, always forward.  Suddenly, and only for an instant, she stopped, hearing a loud this behind her.  With bated breath, Skye turned, hoping not to see what she expected.  She was right.  A spider, half as tall as herself, stood not but a few feet from her.  Another dropped down with a thud, taking a step forward,and it didn't take Skye any longer to turn tail and run.

The champion made a mad dash for the tree, leaping up with all her strength and grabbing tightly onto the root, pulling herself up.  As she scrambled to pull herself over the ledge, she felt something snag her leg and she lost her footing, hitting her jaw down on the ground hard before her hands managed to hold on and keep herself from being tugged back down.  She was in full panic mode, only just managing to grab her wand and turn around behind her.  She made the mistake of looking.  More spiders had quickly followed her, not wanting their dinner to escape, and two had a hold of her leg.

" _Stupefy_!" The pulse shot out from her wand, knocking the spiders back, and Skye pulled herself up, breathless and began to run and she didn’t stop.  She leapt over roots and rocks, slid down hills and skidded to a halt when she felt herself break through another magical barrier.  It sent the same green sparks shooting up into the sky as before, but when she turned around to see if the giant spiders were still following her, the brunette found them clawing at the magical shield.  The tired champion sighed in relief.  Apparently the creatures were contained to their own section of the forest, per the magical barriers set up for the task.

Her lungs and throat burned and Skye wanted to stop and sit down and to take a break, but she also wanted to get out of the forest as soon as she possibly could.  She could always quit, say the spell and shoot the yellow spell into the sky and get picked up...but then the entire school would be disappointed in her.  She doubted Jemma would be upset.  Jemma just wanted her alive, but Skye wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt of quitting if she didn’t try.

__________

For the first ten minutes, the band had continued to play upbeat, exciting songs, but by now it had died out and the audience had taken to waiting. It was dead silent, nothing could be heard except for the occasional squeak of the bleachers and Jemma's foot incessantly tapping on the wood. Fitz and Trip had already given up on trying to break her bad habit.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bright red flare shot into the air, signaling that Ward had made it to the first checkpoint. Jemma's head shot back up, and she was disappointed to find that the color hadn't been green. Of course Ward would be the fastest runner, he was all buff and muscular and probably ran in his sleep. She tried not to think about any reason Skye wouldn't already be at the first checkpoint, but she was quickly relieved when both blue and green flares shot into the air, nearly at the same time. It didn't bother her that Skye was only barely ahead of Bobbi, all she wanted was for her girlfriend to survive.

 

__________

Skye was having to take it slower now.  She knew that she was deeper in the woods, there was almost no light now.  Her wand was lit just enough for her to see ahead, but not so much that it was at its maximum brightness.  She didn’t want anything stumbling onto her in the dark.  The brunette had already been hearing howls and strange calls for the past several minutes now.  She couldn’t distinguish what they were, they were so far off, but she knew she didn’t want to mess with it.  

The tree tops here were thick, blocking out any light that the moon could provide, if the clouds had even moved away from in front of it.  It was so dark this deep in, Skye doubted it.  The Hogwarts Champion’s legs were throbbing.  She had already run a long way, and she had no idea if any of the others had even reached the cup.  No one had come to get her yet, so she supposed the task wasn’t over.  She also hadn’t run into anyone else, so she took that as a good sign as well.  If she had stumbled onto another Champion that would mean she had gone in the wrong direction.

It was nearing the thirty minute mark.  She knew that there were at least two more barriers she needed to pass through before she reached the center of the forest, or at least the center of the task.  She wasn’t able to keep up with the other Champion’s progress.  The thick canopy prevented that much.  Skye had been walking now for several minutes, with no incident other than some thick gooey tar pit she had almost fallen into.  She found this unusual.  With all the rumors running about the forest she knew something had to be coming.  It seemed rather silly that she would go the entire task with only having run into some spiders.

Skye had thought, for the briefest of moments before being plunged into the complete darkness, that she had seen some centaurs running in the distance, but that had been a while ago, long after the spiders.  If she weren’t in a hurry, she would have liked to have gotten a closer look.  She knew centaurs were dangerous, but from what Jemma and the Professors had said, they were also highly intelligent creatures, being part human, and were on good terms mostly with the school.   _Having half a horse for a body wouldn’t be so bad right about now..._ She was out of stamina and the silence was starting to slowly drive her crazy.  Perhaps that was a test in itself.  It was almost deafening.  Her ears were starting to ring.  She missed the rustling beyond her in the dark.

The sound of the sparks from above startled her to a standstill as she felt herself pass through another magical field.   _Just one more till the cup.  I can do this_ , She thought to herself, not wanting to speak and make any more sound than necessary.  Who knew what could be out there.  She had heard one of the other Slytherin students who was friends with some of the Durmstrang students talking about a massive three headed dog.  That would be something she would like to avoid.

The brunette decided to pick up the pace.  If there was only one more magical barrier, then she was close.  She had taken the last stretch pretty slow after the spiders, and this was a race after all.  She might as well try.  The Hogwarts Champion decided to risk it.  Finding a path to run was hard when it was so dark.  “ _Lumos Maxima_ ,” the tip of her wand grew bright, illuminating her way through the underbrush of the forest.  It was only a few minutes later she saw light up ahead.  Her heart raced, some from the running and some from the sudden rush of adrenaline.  It could be the cup.

__________

Either Skye had slowed down and was now in last, or something horrible had happened to her and she didn't even have time to signal for help. Ward and Bobbi's flares had gone up again, but the sky was yet to be lit by another green one.

"She'll get there." Fitz assured her. It didn't comfort her at all. Before, Skye had been able to keep up with at least Bobbi, but it had been seven minutes since the blue flare had been visible and Skye still hadn't made it. Something had slowed her down, and Jemma didn't like the idea that she'd run into something. Panic rose up from her stomach to her throat when a yellow flare shot hundreds of feet in the air, and several professors on broomsticks flew out over the forest to go help. She was relieved, but only slightly, when she realized that the yellow flare had come from Bobbi's zone in the forest. If there was something bad enough to scare Bobbi into backing out, she didn't like the idea of Skye staying in there.

Skye finally reached the barrier and her flare lit up the sky before the professors returned with Bobbi. Skye was just moving slowly, Jemma told herself. She hoped Skye had just gotten lazy and started walking and liked to think that was what was happening instead of the possibility that she'd gotten hurt and refused to back out. If that was the case, Jemma would kill her when she got out anyway, so she hoped her girlfriend would make the smart decision. There was only one more barrier to go before the finish, as the audience had been told, and Jemma hoped that either Skye would make it, she would send up a yellow flare and give up, or that Ward won the tournament. All of the three insured that Skye got out alive, so that was what Jemma was desperately wishing to happen.

 

___________

She used all her energy and surged forward, jumping over fallen trees and roots, sliding over rocks, and making one last sprint for the tree line and she came into a clearing.  It was flat, clear, only dirt on the ground, and completely void.  “Damnit,” Skye groaned under her breath, hands on her hips as she spun around in the open clearing.  Nothing.  There was no cup.  She still had further to go it seemed.

Once her frustration wore down, she realized she was out of breath again.  She should have paced herself.  The brunette sighed, taking a moment to let her burning lungs cool, and she looked up.  The sky had finally opened up a little, giving off lots of light in the open clearing since there were no trees to pierce through.  The moon was white and beautiful.  It was large and round tonight.  How fitting for the final task.  The clouds had dissipated and out here in the darkness all the stars in the sky were shining bright along with the moon.  Skye was thankful all of a sudden, for the chance to see it.  It was beautiful out.  She found it ironic that such a scary place could hold such a secret treasure.

However, this wasn’t the treasure she was looking for, and she needed to keep going.  She began to walk back towards the treeline, knowing she would need to venture back into the darkness to head towards the Triwizard cup.  She got almost to the edge of the trees when finally the ringing in her ears was pierced by a shrill howl that echoed out throughout the woods.  It made her blood burn and her adrenaline from before was starting to spike.  This howl had not been like the others.  It had not been far off and distant, something to not concern herself with.  No, this had been close.

Listening suddenly became her very best sense as she stood frozen at the edge, just before the treeline.  She listened hard and for a moment, there was nothing.  Skye was about to sigh when she heard something even more heart stopping than the bone chilling howl.  Heavy breathing..  

Even in this silence, Skye knew that if you could hear breathing, it meant whatever it was was close.  Super close.  Too _fucking_ close.  It wasn’t her own, she knew that much, because she was holding it.  As she released it, she turned her head to look back into the clearing, straining her eyes in the light.  She could see nothing, but as she listened, the sounds grew louder and louder until she could even hear footfalls against the damp dirt.  Suddenly, she saw movement beyond the tree line as whatever it was came closer to the light.  It looked pale and she had to squint to try and see it.  
            “ _Nox_ ,” She whispered quietly and the wand went out.  She had tried to remain silent, but the blinking out of light made whatever it was she was watching still.  Skye remained still too, breath caught in her throat.  She was losing valuable time not moving, but if she dashed, whatever it was might see her.  Clearly she had made a mistake.  The pale figure in the distance moved closer, finally its head coming into the light past the trees.  The brunette’s eyes widened and she could feel a scream building in her throat, stopped only by digging her fingernails into her palm.

She recognized the creature from her defense against the dark arts class and from Jemma’s books on magical creatures when they had been preparing for the tasks.  She knew they could all look different and take on different forms, but the concept was the same.  The pale, lanky creature she saw before her was blind in one eye.  She could tell by the way it favorited its left side, sniffing the air and scanning the clearing.  It was skinny, so much so that it’s spine ridges were popping out along its hunched over back, leading into a small stub of a tail.

Skye knew now she would rather take on the three headed dog and all the spiders at the same time than take on this.  She wasn’t equipped to take on a werewolf.  It all made sense now, the moon, the howling.  She needed to reach the next barrier.  It wouldn’t be able to cross then and get to her...but for that, the brunette would have to move.  And she couldn’t.

Her palms hurt where she was squeezing them so tight.  They were numb.  She didn’t notice the trickle of blood her nails had created, and when a drop landed onto the dirt, the hairless creature’s ears snapped to attention.  It’s head turned, left eye coming around as it moved itself to stand up on its hind legs.

Skye could feel her heart pounding in her chest.  Surely it could hear her.  She needed to hide or to make a run for it.  Something.   _Anything_ , but she was frozen.  It was like someone had cast a spell over her legs and she couldn’t move.  She watched as the beast sniffed the air more and her eyes darted down to her hand.  The Slytherin girl let out a gasp at the blood.  It smelled her.  Her eyes snapped back up, mouth hanging agape as the werewolf’s head snapped to attention, single round golden eye landing on her.

The pale animal’s front gangly hands slowly made their way back onto the ground, digging into the dirt.  Skye tensed as she watched its hind legs reposition.  The beast’s mouth stretched back, opening just a little, a growl coming out and vibrating across the clearing.  The Slytherin took a hesitant step back into the trees.  The action released from the werewolf such a powerful, ear shattering roar that she almost fell back.  It’s powerful back legs sprang and suddenly it was bounding for her at full force.

“ _Impedimenta!!_ ”  Skye shot her wand out and a force blasted into the charging werewolf, knocking it back into the dirt, causing it to whimper, but the brunette didn’t hear it.  She as dashing through the darkness deeper into the forest.  She had to reach the last barrier before it got closer to her.  The howl the reached her ears told her that it had not given up.  Werewolves were ferocious, destructive creatures and she knew well that if they didn’t have something to release their frustration on, they would hurt themselves.  Their prefered scapegoats being humans.

The Slytherin girl had never run so fast.  Her breaths came in gasps through the mouth, her lungs and throat on fire, burning with the effort to keep up with her legs.  She could hear the scrapes of earth and rock behind her as the werewolf passed over, pursuing her with a vengeance.

“ _Stupefy!_ ”  It missed.  

“ _Stupefy_!!”  Another miss.

“ _Impedimenta_!”

This caused the werewolf to trip and slide forward onto its face, but it recovered too quickly and Skye couldn’t keep turning to shoot spells at it in the dark.  She could barely see where she was going, let alone try to see behind her to cast spells on the approaching animal.

It was almost on her.  She could hear its panted breaths as it chased after her.  It’s steps louder.  Skye took the risk and turned again as she ran to cast another spell.

“ _Sectumsem-”_

The unfinished cruse slashed weakly into the misshapen wolf as Skye went tumbling back into the dirt, having tripped hard over an upturned root and slamming her head against the ground.  It made her head pound and she felt dizzy as she tried to scramble up when suddenly there was a weight on her back.   _No, NO-_

Desperately, the Hogwarts Champion gripped her hand around her wand, only to find it wasn’t there.  She had dropped it when she fell.  When her eyes landed on it, it was in reach, and Skye lunged for it.

Her hand stopped short and a blood curdling scream shot out from her throat as a hot searing pain shot through her shoulder.  She shrieked again and the brunette thought her heart had stopped when she heard a crunch.  Skye could smell its breath as it tore away most of her leather champion’s robe, taking flesh with it.  The claws of its hind leg dug into her lower back, making her cry out again as it kept her still.  It was going to kill her.  She was going to _die_.  She was going to die in the most gruesome way possible at the age of seventeen because of a _dare_.

Her wand was out of reach, and the werewolf was going in for the second bite.  She could feel its breath on her neck.  Jemma was going to find her as a ghost, wandering the halls of Hogwarts and kill her again.  Jemma.  She couldn’t leave Jemma.  She couldn't die here.  Skye’s muscles tensed as she felt teeth on her neck, just before pressure.

Suddenly all she could think of was the Triwizard cup.  It filled her mind, filled her thoughts.  If she could just get to the barrier she would be safe. She thought of it hard and in as much detail as her mind would allow.  It had been so long since she had seen it at the beginning of the year, but she shut her eyes tight anyway.  Skye cried out as she felt the animal’s teeth sink into her neck, but the cry was cut short, and the werewolf’s jaws slammed down into the dirt.  There was a loud _crack_ and the pale wolf howled in frustration, lashing at itself with it’s claws,  It’s prey was gone.   _Vanished._  Only small pieces of it left behind.

A final set of green sparks, larger than the last, shot into the sky as the brunette apparated across the magical barrier and slammed into the dirt of a small clearing, glowing blue with the pulsating light of the Triwizard cup.  Her face landed hard in the dirt and she writhed on the ground, screaming up to the night sky as she grasped at her arm and chest.  Pieces of her clothes were missing, but worst of all, so were pieces of her flesh.  All down her arm was riddled with deep incisions not made by the hungry werewolf, though it’s puncture wounds remained on her neck and shoulder.  Parts of her chest were slashed open too, and she was gasping for breath as her hands grabbed the dirt, trying to regain some sense of time and space.

The blue caught her eye.  High on a pedestal of intertwined roots, the Triwizard cup rested, waiting to be grasped and take the victor to the finish.  Skye couldn’t even comprehend what it was at this point.  It was a _portkey_.  It was going to get her out of here and to Jemma.  It was going to get her to _help_.

Skye gasped, the strain of trying to stand was too much as she pulled herself up against the roots of the stand.  Her splinched hand reached out and she grit her teeth together as her flesh clasped firmly around one of two handles on the cup.  A great blue beam shot up from the sky from the center of the forest and both the Champion and the cup vanished from the task.

The Triwizard cup went rolling out in front into the grass as Skye fell, writhing against the ground again, staining the grass with her blood, which was also all over the trophy cup, her cries of agony echoing over the stands and piercing through the triumphant music.

 


	18. TriWizard Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter everyone! I hope you have enjoyed the story!

Somehow, Skye made it to the last checkpoint before Ward. How she had caught up and gotten ahead, Jemma didn't know, but she was glad that Skye had managed to make it.

"See, Skye's got this all under control." Trip smiled, giving Jemma an I-told-you-so smile. Jemma made the mistake of believing him. Suddenly, an immense blue beam shot into the sky, brighter and more powerful than any of the flares that had gone up throughout the task. It nearly blinded her, which was why it took a moment for her to see Skye in the grass a few meters away from the bottom of the bleachers. The band immediately picked up the song that was meant for the celebration after the task, meant to celebrate the winner, but it was interrupted by a scream of agony, one that made Jemma feel like she was splitting in two. Her eyes readjusted to the darkness after the sudden flash of light and saw that Skye was not standing there with the cup, but coiled against herself in the grass, covered in blood and fresh wounds.

"Skye!!" Jemma screamed. She nearly pushed Fitz off the bleachers in her mad dash for the edge, where she jumped and stumbled a few steps on the ground before sprinting towards her girlfriend and dropping to her knees next to her.

"Oh, god..." Jemma cried. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to wrap Skye in her arms and hold her, but she couldn't see the end of the injuries and she was positive that touching her would make her pain even worse.

"Can you hear me? Skye?" She grabbed the sides of her girlfriend's face and forced her to make eye contact. The medical witches and wizards from the infirmary that were on hand rushed to them, finally getting over the same shock Jemma was feeling. Skye had won, she was supposed to be fine, what had happened? Just from a quick glance, Jemma could gather that Skye was severely injured, her upper body was nearly torn apart.

"It's ok, you're ok, you're going to get help." She whispered comfortingly, keeping Skye's hair out of her face and off of her injuries as the professionals took a look. She was so bloody and shredded that not even they knew where to start.

The pain was so intense Skye couldn’t think straight.  Everything hurt.  Everywhere hurt.  Her body was shaking from the shock but somehow Jemma’s hands on her cheek made the brunette remember to take deep breaths.  She needed to control her breathing.  She wanted the help.  Soon they would work some magic, use some potion, and these wounds would close up and go away.  She really wanted the help.  She was here.  She had finished.  She was safe.

But everyone else wasn’t.  Skye’s eyes went wide as she looked at the panic on Jemma’s face.  That was because she was splinched, not for the reason she should be.  Her mouth opened to say something but nothing came out.  She started to panic too.  The brunette started to shake her head back and forth, quickly, and she began to struggle against the medical help.  They shouldn’t be here.  Jemma shouldn’t be here.

The brunette’s splinched arm stretched painfully out and pushed the first nurse aside, hard.  She had meant to.  They didn’t understand.  They thought she was panicking, and she was, but they thought it was from the shock.  Her eyes darted up to the moon, slowly revealing itself from behind more clouds.  She knew what happened.  Skye’s eyes quickly fell back onto Jemma.  She was getting frustrated.  Her voice wouldn’t work, whenever she opened her mouth nothing came out and the nurses wouldn’t let her shake them off.

Skye was struggling, and Jemma assumed it was because of the pain and the panic of her injuries and whatever had happened in the woods. It didn't matter why, though, all that mattered was that she stopped.

"Shhh, it's ok." Jemma told her, starting to panic herself when Skye pushed away one of the nurses trying to help her. "Skye, look at me." She said firmly, holding onto her head a little tighter. Skye's eyes were looking around wildly, and they focused on the full moon above them. "They're trying to help you. They're going to help you. I'm here, you'll be alright." She said sternly, trying to make Skye believe it. If she couldn't get the girl to calm down, she would remain in pain and the nurses would probably have to use force or somehow sedate her with a spell. She didn't want it to have to come to that.

Everything was the opposite of okay.  Skye knew everything was going to get worse if they didn’t get away from her.  It was clear the nurses weren’t going to let her go, but she needed to get away somehow if everyone else wasn’t going to leave.  Skye couldn’t help but to look at Jemma.  She was trying to help.  The smaller girl was so determined, but so afraid.  She needed to be.  The brunette was starting to cry.  Her wounds hurt and she could feel what was left of her blood start to boil.  Nothing was going right.  No one was getting it.  It made the injured girl even more _frustrated_.

Skye jerked her shredded arm out of medical witch’s grasp and latched her hand onto Jemma’s wrist, pulling one of her hands off her face.  It had to work this time.  She had to make her pay attention.  The brunette opened her mouth to talk one more time when a loud crack resounded from her body, making her double over and drop her hands to the ground, grasping the grass and the dirt.  She gasped and groaned, thrusting her hand out to stop Jemma from grabbing her again.  Skye willed her voice to work, and for just the second she needed it, it did.

“ _Go away_.”

The bones in her out held arm cracked, her fingers stretching out as the nails grew out into long pointed claws.  Skye shot her hand back down to the ground, digging into the earth.  The splinching was nothing compared to this.  It felt like her entire body was breaking down, stretching while her bones broke and reformed themselves back up into a different shape.  The brunette shrieked loudly and hid her face as she stayed doubled over, the ridge of her spine popping up, ripping through what remained of the Hogwarts cloak before thin, tawny fur began to sprout up over it.

It was too much.  She couldn’t take it.  The pain as her body rebuilt itself was too great.  Her deformed hands flew to her shoulders and began to rip at the skin and cloth that remained, wanting to get it off.  As skin came off, fur grew in.  If they hadn’t been worried before, they definitely would be now.

Jemma yelped when Skye gripped her wrist, she was stronger than usual. _Much, much stronger._ She could feel the bruise already beginning to form  when Skye released her and the awful crack that somehow came from Skye's body made Jemma wince. It was a terrible awful sound that was very similar to a bone breaking. She was hurt when Skye told her to go away and prevented her from helping, but she knew this wasn't her girlfriend, it was the pain and whatever was going on that was dictating her words. She instantly ran several scenarios through her head and it all made sense when Skye's body started to turn into a recognizable shape. She hadn't just been splinched, she'd been bitten by a werewolf, and now she was turning into one herself.

Skye's screams weren't the only ones that Jemma heard, the entire audience was now chaotically fleeing the scene once it was obvious what was happening to the Hogwarts Champion. Even the nurses were running away, and Jemma was furious at them for it. They were supposed to help, that was their duty, and now they were running and leaving Skye to fend for herself. But what should Jemma do? She watched helplessly as Skye transformed into a monster and she couldn't bring herself to run even as she was staring into the beast's deep, cold, golden-yellow eyes. This was still Skye, somehow, this creature was still her girlfriend. At the same time, she wasn't though. This Skye looked at her with hunger, but not the same kind.

It took Jemma much longer than it should have to feel fear, long enough to make her wonder if she had any sense of self preservation whatsoever. She only felt the urge to run once Skye took a step towards her, but by then it was too late to make any sort of escape.

Skye was gone, and as the werewolf stood her full height, it was clear that only the beast now remained.  Its eyes didn’t know where to focus, darting about looking after this group of running people, over to others, and then on to more still as people fled the scene.  Her ears twitched, shifting with every sound, her nose taking in the smells.  She was getting her bearings.

Its first cautionary step was towards Jemma, wobbly for a moment on her new hind legs.  Her forearms were flexing, her lengthened fingers stretching, testing.  And then suddenly it all snapped into place.  Something in her clicked and the wolf’s head snapped down to look at the Ravenclaw.  It was quick.  Her mouth stretched open and like the one from before, an ear shattering roar ripped from her throat where words couldn’t.  A long lanky arm pulled back and lashed out at the fleshy morsel before her, knocking Jemma down onto the ground.

It dropped down to all fours, her front hand like paws grabbing at Jemma’s leg and abruptly dragging her closer with a sudden jerk.  The werewolf loomed over her before opening its mouth again and pulling back to launch a strike and claim its meal.

The roar was enough to scare her, but it wasn't until she was knocked to the ground that Jemma let out a scream. Skye was gone, and in her place was a monster that was perfectly willing- more than happy to, in fact- tear her to pieces, like the one in the woods had done to Skye. It grabbed at her leg and as Jemma was dragged closer, panic rose in her chest as she stared helplessly at the jaws full of sharp teeth that would probably be on her in an instant. It was over, this was it. Jemma knew it. She was going to die right here, and if she somehow managed to survive the night, she and Skye would both be cursed for the rest of their lives.

Jemma's shoulder ached where she had collided with the ground and as the beast above her prepared to lunge at her, she threw her arms over her face and yelled Skye's name. She wished that somehow Skye heard her and pulled through, but she knew it was impossible without preparation beforehand. She'd read enough about werewolves to know that their human minds were gone during the full moon, and they only remembered all that they'd done the morning after. A thought suddenly breached her mind, she thought about Skye waking up tomorrow and remembering killing her. She hoped her death was quick, for her own sake and so that Skye wouldn't have to know she'd eaten her girlfriend alive.

Just when Jemma was sure it was over, she was ready for it to be over, a yell on her right caught her attention.

" _Tramortire!_ " Headmaster Coulson shouted, pointing his wand at the wolf version of Skye. Instead of a set of jaws, Jemma felt an entire body topple down on her. It was much too large to move and she found herself nearly suffocating before Coulson used another spell and levitated Skye off to the side.

"Miss Simmons, were you bitten?" He asked in concern, grabbing Jemma by the forearm and lifting her to her feet, searching for blood or any sort of puncture wound.

"I- I... I'm fine." She stuttered, not able to take her eyes of the furry creature that was Skye. The spell Coulson had used had only knocked her unconscious, and she would probably be contained until morning.

"You should proceed back to your dormitory. You will be alerted when all of this is over, I give you my word." The headmaster promised her, passing her off to another professor that would be escorting her back to the Ravenclaw tower. Jemma just nodded wordlessly, letting Professor May lead her by the arm, though she never took her eyes off of Skye. Had she not been specific enough when she hoped Skye would survive? She almost felt cheated, like life had just found a loophole to give her what she had asked for but still not have it be what she wanted. Skye had survived the task, she'd even won the Triwizard Tournament, but it had been at a cost.

__________

Skye had woken in a cold sweat from a terrible nightmare.  When the fog in her eyes finally cleared, she found herself staring up at a familiar ceiling.  The medical wing of the castle.  Suddenly the pain in her body came flooding back like a tidal wave and she cried out, arching off the bed, only to find herself pressed down.  They had strapped her to the bed. The realization made her stop her movements and control herself.  The brunette's arm was wrapped up tight in bandages, going up her shoulder, over her chest, and around her neck.  The splinching had mostly healed, but the werewolf wounds were harder to take care of.  

Skye felt the memories hit her like a bus.  She had been attacked by a werewolf.  She had teleported back to the finish and Jemma had tried to help her.  The last thing she remembered was standing over her girlfriend.  She remembered Jemma's scream, the look of terror on her face.  She was looking at her.  Skye gasped and began to struggle against the restraints.  

"Jemma?! _Jemma_?!"

Skye was getting desperate.  She couldn't move and she was only reopening the unhealed wounds as she thrashed around on the bed.  They had needed to restrain her.  She had transformed into a werewolf, a monster.  She remembered with wide eyes as she felt herself knock Jemma down again. Her throat hurt from the vibrations of the roar and having strained it trying to warn her girlfriend to get away.  She had wanted to kill her.   _Oh god_.

Had she?  Had she killed Jemma?  She couldn't remember, and that's what scared her the most.  Skye knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if the last thing Jemma had ever seen was her girlfriend turning into a gangly wolf monster and having her for dinner.  Suddenly she was even more desperate and she started to thrash against the bed again, the straps straining with the effort.

"Jemma?!  Where is Jemma?!  Let me up!!" One of the straps snapped and Skye didn't even stop to be surprised at her own strength.  The bandages on her shoulder started to bleed through as her commotion was reopening her wounds.  More silver dust would need to be applied to them to close them up.

Finally hearing the ruckus, a series of nurses were rushing into the room.  "She's awake!  Send for the Headmaster!"

They were rushing over to her, trying to calm her down, but Skye would not listen or cooperate with them.

"I need to see Jemma!  Where is she?!"

" _Miss Johnson_! You need to _calm down_." Headmaster Coulson's voice suddenly boomed over the chaos as he appeared in the room. His yell had silenced the nurses and had done a relatively good job of stilling the new werewolf on the cot. "If you would be still I will allow the nurses to remove your restraints." He said calmly. Slowly, he walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down on the one next to it.   
            It was all nearly impossible to comprehend, really. He was glad everyone made it out of the Triwizard Tournament alive this time, but it had been a long time since Hogwarts had had a werewolf as a student and Coulson was going to have to inform and reinforce new protocols.   
            "I hope you understand what happened last night. You were bitten by a werewolf, and now you have become one yourself." Coulson began, unaware of Skye's current fear. He nodded to the nurses and they quickly removed the straps that held Skye down. "This is going to happen to you every month for the rest of your life, and the only way to stop yourself from hurting anyone else is to take a prepared potion in advance. As it is almost the end of the school year, we will be sending this information home with you. I'm sure your mother will be able to brew it." What Coulson meant by hurting anyone else was any person other than herself, but he hadn't realized how unaware Skye was about whether or not her girlfriend was alive.

The Slytherin girl stayed calm only long enough for the nurses to remove her straps.  The only reason Skye wasn't springing up from the bed and running now was because she was horrified by his words.  That she was a werewolf was a given.  She had concluded that much on her own last night in her haze before she had changed.  She had been bitten, even though she got away.  Skye was capable of putting two and two together.  What she wasn't ready for was the news.   _I can't hurt anyone else...else means I already have,_ Skye tensed, gritting her teeth together.  She turned back to the Headmaster, suddenly out of energy.  Skye didn't think she would be able to get up now if she tried.  Guilt was weighing her down, and it gripped at her heart in a vice grip, causing her to start to shake.

"I can deal with potions.  What I can't deal with is sitting here.  I need to see Jemma!" She was holding her breath, hoping that the answer he was going to give her wasn't the one she was expecting.

Coulson knew that Skye wasn't going to listen to anything until her girlfriend was present, so he sighed and gave in. He hadn't been allowing any visitors and he hadn't planned on letting Skye see anyone until he could talk to her, but clearly he needed make Jemma Simmons an exception.  
            "Please, someone, go find Miss Simmons and bring her here." Coulson asked no one in particular. One of the nurses nodded and bustled out of the room.

Skye let out the breath she had been holding and the Headmaster would see her body relax.  Her shoulders slumped over and the brunette sat back patiently against the bed, a relieved smile on her face.  It didn't last very long though.  Wouldn't Jemma have already been here if she had wanted to see her?  Fear started to sink back in as she thought again about what had happened.  She had attacked Jemma, no doubt about it.  Skye would be amazed if the smaller girl ever wanted to see her again.  She had tried to kill her.  That wasn't the sort of thing you just forgave, even if she hadn't been in control of herself. She didn't think for a second that maybe Jemma hadn't been allowed to see her.  Her mind went to the next worst possible situation, that being she had scared Jemma away.  Literally.

"So...I didn't hurt anyone?" Skye asked tentatively.  She didn't remember everything that had happened so she didn't know what she had done.

"No, though you came close, and you probably would have had I not intervened." Coulson wasn't going to lie to Skye, the Slytherin had actually almost killed a person, a person that was very important to her. Hopefully the incident would be enough to convince her to never forget about needing the potion.

With no warning whatsoever, the infirmary doors burst open as Jemma made an appearance. She'd waited long enough to see her girlfriend and nothing was going to slow her down now that she had permission. She was still holding a decent stack of books about werewolves in one arm, she hadn't bothered to put them down as soon as she received news that Skye was asking for her.

"Skye, thank god." Jemma rushed towards her with a sigh of relief and a smile on her face. She looked much better than Jemma had expected. The last time she'd seen Skye she was torn apart and all her bones were breaking, but now it seemed that the wounds were being healed. She noticed Skye's eyes flick down to her books, and she blushed.

"I brought them to, you know, get informed. Is it too soon?" She grimaced and placed the books on the side table. Eagerly, Jemma sat down on the edge of Skye's cot and gently grabbed for her hands, careful both because Skye's arms might still be in pain and because one of her own wrist was still a deep shade of purple from Skye's grip on it the previous night. She didn't blame her, though, none of it was her fault. If Skye hadn't grabbed her so roughly, she probably wouldn't have known what was going on.

"I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. I'll be back to discuss things later." Coulson got up to leave and instructed the nurses to leave them in peace as well, he knew nothing would calm Skye down like Jemma could.

Skye couldn't have cared less about the books.  She was just relieved to see that Jemma was safe and sound and in one piece and not pieces like she had been imagining since she woke up.  The second Coulson was gone, her first impulse was to lunge for Jemma and wrap her tightly into her arms...but she never made it past the thought. Her eyes caught sight of Jemma's wrist and Skye frowned.  Obviously she had not gotten away completely unscathed.  

Still, the Ravenclaw had come to her with a smile on her face, and an arm full of books, which meant she had spent at least some amount of time studying up on her new condition.  Skye could hardly believe her girlfriend even wanted to be in the same room as her, let alone sit next to her on the bed.

Finally, her mind settled and she ignored any pain remaining in her limbs and she grabbed Jemma tightly and wrapped her arms around her, snuggling her face into the girl's shoulder and beginning to cry.  Her voice wasn't working again, but now it was for different reasons.  Her body shook with her sobs as she clutched tighter to the smaller girl.  She had thought Jemma was dead.  She had thought she had killed her, but here she was, in her arms and putting up with the big mess she had caused.

Jemma was initially surprised by the hug, she'd expected her weird book habits would upset Skye. She quickly came back to her senses, ignoring the shock and clinging to her girlfriend, rubbing small circles into her back where there were no bandages, hoping to calm her.

"It's ok. See, I told you everything was going to be alright." She said quietly, kissing the side of Skye's head and letting the taller girl hold onto her. She was willing to let Skye do whatever she wanted as long as it made her comfortable and eased her pain. "I'm hardly ever wrong." She smiled and continued to let Skye cry. She knew from experience that the girl just needed to let all of her emotions out, it would make her feel better in the long run.

Jemma wasn't even very worried about the whole werewolf thing. From what she'd read, with a good potions master, the whole situation was very manageable. Having both herself and Jiaying, Jemma was positive Skye would be fine.

"Shhh, you're alright." Jemma squeezed Skye a little tighter as her sobs died down into occasional whimpers and sniffles and her body stopped jumping with every gasped breath.

Once she had calmed down, Skye sat in silence for a few minutes, just holding Jemma while she tried to think of something to say.  She didn't have any words and all her brain could come up with were short snippets. Finally she gave up, and when the brunette pulled away her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Guess you'll need a dog whistle or something now..." Her face was flat for a moment before she cracked half a grin, shaking her head at how stupid she must sound.  She looked over at the stack of books and sighed.  Jemma had already been busy at work, learning everything she could to help with Skye's new condition, even after everything that had happened. Skye didn't understand how she could be so lucky.

"I'm sorry...I tried...I should have just shot the stupid yellow flares like you wanted," Skye shook her head and sighed, finally letting go of her girlfriend, all but her hand, which she now clung to with the same desperation as before.  "Then none of this would have happened...when I woke up and didn't see you, after remembering everything," the Champion cut short again and stared down at their hands.  She wasn't sure she could look Jemma in the eye.

"You did good, Skye, and I couldn't be prouder." Jemma insisted, bringing Skye's hands up to her lips and kissing them lightly. She laughed at her girlfriend's terrible joke, it made her feel better to know Skye was still herself.

"You're ok, I'm ok, this all turned out alright. The Triwizard Tournament is over, it's done. There's no more worrying, no more fearing for your life." Jemma pointed out. This whole nightmare of a year was over and she was grateful they'd both made it to the end. "You even won. You could get that new broom with the money you just earned, you could do anything." She pointed out. "Plus, you now have _eternal glory._ " She mocked Headmaster Coulson's words from the announcement speech so many months ago.

Skye scoffed at that.  It was almost laughable.  Glory wasn’t the only thing she was going to have for eternity now.  Her curse was forever.  “And a monthly reminder to go with it,” Skye sighed, trying to smile for Jemma.  It would take some getting used to, that was for sure.  What would her mother say?  Jemma was being wonderfully tolerant but she wasn’t so sure about Jiaying.  Skye was fairly certain that this would be one conversation she would like to avoid, or at least not be present when her mother was informed.

“I don’t feel like I won.  Maybe that will come later,” The brunette leaned back on the bed, grinning before she dragged her girlfriend down with her.  “But the money, now _that's_ something I can use.  I’ll probably just give it to mom to use for the house.  You’ve seen it.  It could use some sprucing up.  Definitely a new fireplace.  One that will actually allow warmth to reach my room.”

"That sounds nice." Jemma laughed, remembering their winter break very fondly. She couldn't wait to get back to their freedom outside of school that came with summer. They hadn't decided whose house they were going to be staying at, but Skye's seemed like the best option due to recent...developments. There was plenty of room and Jiaying was there to make the potion and also teach Jemma to do the same for their months to come at school next year.

"It's going to be so weird, having all of this be over. Bobbi won't be here next year." Jemma smiled, knowing that alone would make her girlfriend happy.

“Doubt she’d want to mess with me now anyway,” Skye grinned to herself and rolled her eyes, snuggling up against the smaller girl, “I’m a mother _fucking_ werewolf.”  The brunette laughed hard for the first time in a long time.  It was ridiculous really.  Of course everything had gone wrong along the way, and even though the tournament was over...there was still so much left to do.  She had gone in on this because of a stupid dare and now here she was, laying in a medical cot a Triwizard Champion, albeit a little worse for wear.  Skye sighed when she finally calmed down and her eyes darted back over to all of the books Jemma had brought.

Skye pushed herself up on her elbow, taking her eyes from the books and down to Jemma with a smile.  They were in for a long summer.

“So, nerd...now what?”

  
  
  
  


Fin

 


End file.
